To Weave a New Pattern
by Joella
Summary: What if Leonard Snart did not remain dead after destroying the Oculus? This is an AU sequel to Cut Strings which begins right after Carter and Kendra leave the team in 2016. Definitely Captain Canary in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter One**

 _This is an AU sequel to Cut Strings. This takes place after the events of Season One of DC's Legends of Tomorrow right after Carter and Kendra leave the team but before the JSA ship crashes. Warning for strong language and adult situations but not R._

* * *

 _Rip led the team to where he'd left the cloaked Waverider. Everyone was sunk deep in thought and not really paying attention to anything. Their mission to kill Savage was over; they had to determine what they were going to do next._

 _"Damn!" Rip stopped. The tall man in the black coat stood near the bay door as though he knew the Waverider was there._

 _"What's wrong?" Sara scanned their surroundings looking for trouble._

 _"There's someone at the Waverider. We cannot board."_

 _"Why don't you just give 'em one of those short term memory pills?" Ray was only half joking._

 _"Because, Mr. Palmer, I don't like going around drugging people."_

 _Sara stepped around Rip to see who was impeding their leaving. The blood drained from her face as she recognized him. She grabbed Mick's arm and squeezed hard._

 _"Hey! What's that for?" Mick, still heartsick and sore from fighting, wanted a beer more than anything else._

 _"Look!" She said._

 _The figure ahead must have heard them. He looked over his left shoulder and smiled at his friends. *_

Everyone froze as they realized that the figure facing them appeared to be their deceased teammate, Leonard Snart. Mick Rory was the first to be able to move. He closed the gap between the team and his former partner, grabbed him by the lapels, and lifted him off the ground. "Who the hell are you?" He was furious. Snart was dead. Had sacrificed himself for Mick, for them all. This...bastard, whoever he was, needed to speak up before Mick smashed his teeth in.

"Put me down Mick." Leonard locked eyes with the one person besides his sister who knew him best.

"How?" Rip stepped up next to the two men with Sara right behind him.

"No! The only question is who are you?" Mick needed that answered before anything else.

"It's really me. Ask me anything. Something that only you and I would know." Leonard's voice was cool and collected as Mick dropped him down. He shrugged his black jacket back into place across his shoulders.

"How did we meet?"

"Not good enough. I told Sara that story."

Mick looked over his shoulder at the assassin who nodded.

"You left me a ring. What's the deal with it?"

"Told her that story too."

Mick was surprised when Sara nodded again. He realized then that Snart and Sara had become closer than he realized. If Snart had told her these stories, he trusted her. But there was one story he bet that Snart would not have shared.

"Why did I, as Chronos, capture you instead of Rip?"

Leonard seemed to shrink in on himself. He looked down at the ground for a moment before raising his gaze to meet Mick's. "You were going to take us to 2016, find Lisa, and kill her in front of me. Then we would jump back a little so you could keep doing it again and again.

The team was shocked. All had seen the enmity between the two but hadn't realized how deep Mick's revenge as Chronos' went. So they were all surprised at Mick's next move.

"You idiot!" Mick shouted as he grabbed Snart in a bear hug. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?"

Leonard didn't know how to react. Mick had never demonstrated any positive emotion before. Ever. Slowly, he brought his arms around and patted his partner on the back. When Mick released him, they both separated.

"You're back! Good. We have things to..."

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, Mr. Snart, by 'not exactly'?" Rip was overjoyed that Mr. Rory could confirm the identity of the man in front of them as their missing teammate.

"It's a long story. Can we go inside the Waverider?"

"Of course." Rip started to move towards his ship but Leonard stopped him with his hand on Rip's arm.

Speaking softly, he said, "Before we all sit down, I need your help. Yours and Gideon's. In the med bay. I...I need to know that I'm..." Leonard was at a loss for words. "I need to know that I'm ok." That should do for now.

"Certainly." Turning to the others, Rip said, "Why don't we meet in my office in half an hour?" He sauntered towards his ship confident that Mr. Snart would follow. He hadn't figured on everyone else stepping in to greet Mr. Snart as well. Mr. Snart had not exactly been very popular.

Leonard was taken aback as Jax and Raymond came up to shake his hand. Bemused, he allowed them to slap him on the shoulder and back as they celebrated his return. He didn't want to throw ice water on the reunion yet but their enthusiasm made him very uncomfortable. The two men turned and headed towards their ship.

"Mr. Snart," Professor Stein approached Leonard. "You are a sight for sore eyes. When we lost you, or as the case may be now, thought we'd lost you, everyone was astonished by your sacrifice. I for one was proud of how much you'd changed while with us."

Leonard's lips quirked as he almost smiled at the scientist. He would never have believed that the man would ever give him anything approaching respect. He was shaken that they all seemed to have really missed his presence. But then he realized that there was one person who had not yet come up to him. Sara was staring at the ground a few feet away. Stein realized the direction of Snart's gaze and wondered if he should say something. He looked back and forth between the two. Leonard's face lost all expression. He gave a slight nod as he realized that she was not going to approach him.

" _She must have come to her senses,_ " Leonard thought to himself as he turned towards the ship and some answers. " _I guess..._ " He never finished that thought as Sara slammed against him and held on a tight as she could. Turning, he wrapped her in a hug and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Nothing else mattered at that moment for either of them.

Stein looked away. All was well. Or would be. He too turned and headed towards the Waverider passing Mick who was still standing there watching his partner. Realizing that Snart and Sara were wrapped up in each other, Mick decided to return to the ship and wait to hear Snart's tale. Both Mick and Stein caught up with Rip and the others.

"Let's make it an hour, shall we?" Bemused, Rip entered his ship. " _Now when did that happen?_ " he asked himself.

Sara didn't want to let Leonard go; she was afraid he'd vanish as he had in the Arrow's lair. She felt his breath stir her hair and the warmth from his body thawed a part she hadn't realized had frozen. Reluctantly, she let go enough so she could look him in the eye. "You're here to stay? Right? No...no screaming and vanishing?"

"No vanishing. That's done." _I hope._ "But staying is another story. I want to explain now but I don't think I can tell what happened more than once." He absentmindedly rubbed at his chest. "I promise that I won't vanish without saying goodbye."

Realizing that was all he could promise, Sara grasped his hand and interlaced their fingers. She drew him towards the ship and answers.

Leonard nodded at Rip who was still waiting in the doorway and followed him towards the med bay. He turned towards Sara and released her hand. "I'll meet you in Rip's office, okay?"

Curiosity consumed Sara but she held off asking any questions for the moment. She went to her quarters to clean up passing Mick who was headed out again.

"What did you want to look for exactly?" Rip was consumed with curiosity as Leonard entered the med bay behind him. How had Mr. Snart returned to them? Alive?

Leonard didn't speak for a moment as he agonized about learning the truth. "I need to know that everything in me is me." He realized he wasn't making much sense. "I was...healed. But did they change anything? Add anything? I need to..." He could hear his voice becoming strident and took a deep breath.

"I believe I understand what you need, Mr. Snart. Gideon? We need a full body scan on Mr. Snart and compare all data to the scans you made when I first brought him on board the Waverider."

"Yes, Captain." Gideon's rely was a few seconds slower than normal but a human was unable to catch that delay. The ship's AI had received a command signal that she was unable to defy.

Leonard lay down on the chair and visibly forced his hands to unclench as he closed his eyes.

Rip looked down at where his handpicked thief rested before turning to look at the data as it appeared on the wall screen. Gideon had split the screen in half. The left showed layers of bones, muscles, and nerves; it was obvious that this was the original scan. The right side began to fill with the same structures.

"Scan complete."

Taking a deep breath, Leonard opened his eyes, rolled off the chair, and joined Rip. "So what's the verdict? Am I real or Memorex?" He tried to hide his fear under a heavy layer of sarcasm.

"When first scanned, you had some scarring on your chest and back from some old injuries. Those lines have been changed with some of the damaged area now appearing unblemished. The healed breaks to your fourth, fifth, and sixth ribs are gone; the bones are whole. Your heart and parts of your lungs appear to be new as does a portion of your spinal column and spinal cord. Your brain scans appear to be the same; there is no apparent difference between the waves." Gideon stopped, unable to continue. The command the AI had received earlier kept her from finishing her report.

A shudder rippled through Leonard. Rip watched the thief work to regain his self-control; he turned away to give him some privacy. "Gideon. Is there anything else we should know?"

"About Mr. Snart's scan? There is nothing else I can say."

Confused at his ship's critic reply, Rip looked to see if Mr. Snart was ready to join the rest. Rip, and he was sure that this was true of the rest of the team, was dying to know how he'd survived. "Ready?"

"Nope." Now that it was time, Leonard wasn't sure that he wanted to tell them about what had happened to him and what he'd be doing for his rescuers. But part of the deal was that he could be with the team sometimes and they had to know the truth. He followed as Rip headed towards the bridge and those waiting.

Stein had reached the office first and had spent the time arranging chairs for all of them. He placed two so that they were almost touching. The others had cleaned up quickly except for Mick. He'd taken the time to find a liquor store and had bought a few bottles of 25-year-old single malt. Sara saw what he brought in and found the glasses. Mick poured each of them a shot. No one picked theirs up; they were waiting.

Rip and Leonard entered the office side by side. Rip was smiling broadly; Leonard's smile was present, but much more subtle. Mick handed his partner the first glass as Sara passed one to each of the others.

"Welcome back." Mick saluted Leonard.

"Yes! Welcome back, Mr. Snart." Rip Hunter echoed as they all chimed in.

Mick had swallowed his and poured a second shot and was surprised when Leonard held his glass out too. Snart drank but never got drunk. He hated that loss of control. It must be bad whatever had happened.

Sara had already spotted the two chairs and settled down in one. Jax headed towards the other one when Stein yanked his arm and guided him towards a different chair. Realization dawned when Jax watched Snart settle down next to Sara.

Leonard watched them all choose their seats. It appeared to be story time. He turned his glass around and around watching the amber liquid swirl. "I honestly don't know where to begin." He held up a hand as Raymond started to speak. "Just give me a second, will ya?" Only Sara was close enough to see how his hand was shaking.

 _Time Master Druce came up with his guards. "No! Shut it down!" he demanded. "Shut it down!" He demanded that Leonard release the switch to allow the Oculus to cool down._

 _Leonard guessed they hadn't seen this in their fancy manipulations. He wondered why? The team was far enough away now. Heat built up in the chamber towards detonation. "There are no strings on me," he declared to Druce. Leonard was done with being a pawn._

 _A stream of blue fire struck him in the chest. Heat. Agony. Cold. Nothingness.*_

"At the Oculus, that bastard tried to stop me but it was too late. The machine exploded. I remember...there was a flare..." He didn't realize it, but Leonard was rubbing his chest with his free hand. 'The next part is hazy so bear with me. I don't really know what was real or what was just a dream. At least at the beginning. The first thing I remember was green fire all around. I was awake and then asleep and had no idea of where I even was. I kept seeing different places, people. I remember trying to get out...to get away from wherever I was. Then I found myself in another strange place and saw Sara."

"What? And you never told us?" Mick was pissed as he turned to face the blonde.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't stay. I..." Leonard intercepted Mick's anger.

"Leonard appeared out of nowhere in Oliver's lair. We only talked for a few minutes before he..." _Leonard screamed again. "I will not be a puppet. LET...ME...GO...! he demanded of whatever force it was that was manipulating him. His will held him there while his body was wracked with spasms. Realizing that Leonard would not give in even if it meant his life, Barry raced to grab a syringe, filled it with anesthesia, and injected the thief. As he fell unconscious, his body vanished in a flare of green light. Sara was kneeling alone.*_ "Leonard vanished into thin air. I didn't know if he'd ever come back." Sara pulled her legs up against her body and hugged them tight. His screams had haunted her nights since that day.

"When I woke up after that, there were these five...beings standing around me. They said to call them the Elders."

"Elders? Rip, you ever hear about any Elders?" asked Raymond.

"No. Never."

Leonard tossed back his second glass of whiskey. Mick leaned over and poured another shot in Snart's glass. He could see that his partner might need it to get through his story. For his part, Leonard vowed to hold off drinking it until he finished. He could feel the whiskey he'd already drank taking the edge off and that helped as he continued his story.

"You are not he who was foretold." Leonard couldn't tell which one of the figures spoke. He tried to sit up but a wave of weakness came over him. Turning to his side, he pushed himself up with his right arm. He wanted to face them on his own two feet but was afraid if he got off the table that he'd fall flat on his face.

"You expected Mick?"

"No. The Oculus had told us that Raymond Palmer would be sacrificing himself to destroy the Oculus."

"If the Oculus knew it was going to be destroyed, why didn't it stop us itself?"

"We were the ones who created the Oculus. We taught the first Time Masters how to use it. It was Druce and his cohorts who changed its function for their own use. We wanted it destroyed so that they could no longer use it for a purpose that was not in its design."

"So why am I here and not dead?"

"The Oculus had sent us many people over the years to help with our mission. Our original mission. Raymond Palmer was to be the last of our team."

Raymond interrupted Leonard's story. "So you mean they wanted _me_?" He was almost angry that he'd lost this chance. There was no way that Snart could appreciate such an opportunity. In fact... Ray's thoughts were halted when Mick kicked his foot.

"Let him go on," he growled.

"Oh, right." Chastened, Ray turned his attention back to Snart who picked up his narrative.

"You are not what we expected. But the Oculus sent you to us; you might be able to assist. When we created the Time Masters, our intent was to have a corps to nudge history along its intended path, not change it. We know how things are supposed to happen. A man of your talents might be what we need now."

"And what talents are you referring to?"

"Subterfuge. Breaking and entering. Theft. Sleight of hand."

Leonard couldn't deny that he excelled in those skills; in fact, he was extremely proud of them. "So what do you need me to steal?" He found it ironic that Rip had chosen him for the very same things. Or the Time Masters had. Shit, this was giving him a headache.

"We will assign you a small time ship and send you on various missions to make sure events that are supposed to happen do happen as they should."

"But that's what I was doing with Rip. And the team."

"You are no longer a part of that team."

"Why not?"

"They have bigger events to manage. Events that will need the skills of all of them."

"So why can't I join them. I mean, I was chosen to be a part of that team."

"You were part of Druce's plan but you chose a new path when you gave up your life to stop them. Your life is connected to our mission now."

Leonard was beginning to get pissed off. He was tired of people trying to control his life. "You know what? You can take this job and shove it up your..."

"Silence." The five figures waited and watched him gain self-control. "You were dead when the Oculus sent you to us."

"Wait a minute. Dead? Then how..." Jax interrupted.

Tilting his head, Leonard silenced Jax with a look. Breaking his vow, he drank the shot resting in his left hand. Sara reached out to grasp his right hand but he kept his fingers clenched around the armrest. She was hurt but realized he was squeezing it so tightly that his knuckles stood out whitely. Everyone waited in silence.

Closing his eyes, a shudder racked Leonard's body as he remembered everything with crystal clarity. He opened his eyes. Turning to Jax, he said, "Dead."

"Observe."

Against his will, Leonard watched a screen flicker as an image appeared. He saw himself lying on a table like the one which he was now sitting on. There was a large scorched hole in his torso that he could see the table through. It took all his iron will not to spew as sour saliva filled his mouth. "What did you do to me?"

"The Oculus' explosion burned a hole through your chest. Your heart, lungs, and spinal cord were destroyed. However, our technology was able to keep your brain intact. We were able to regenerate the damaged parts. Then we restarted your heart and lungs and reconnected the nerves."

Leonard was shaking. He realized what he'd thought was a nightmare was instead reality. He'd chosen to destroy the Oculus to save Mick's life but also to regain control of his own. Now these...Elders had basically kidnapped him for their own purposes. "You said that I couldn't be a part of the team. Does that mean I can't even see them? _See Lisa. Or Mick or Sara_ he thought.

"We will give you a choice."

"A choice? How the hell can you say that? You took me after I made my choice. You brought me back to life..." Leonard stopped himself. Beings like these could easily vaporize him. He had discovered that he really wanted to live. Surely he could find some loophole, some angle...

"As we said, we need one such as you to ensure certain events happen along the timeline. And occasionally, you can rejoin your friends for a time."

'What, as a reward?"

"No. As a rest. Make no mistake, the events we will send you to will be highly dangerous to body and spirit. You will need their help to recover."

Leonard looked back at the screen and his own dead body. "What if I say no?"

"We do not kill. However. This is not the only timeline we manage. There are multiple versions of Earth. All occupy the same place in space but vibrate at different frequency so they cannot see each other. In some, you are still dead. In one, you died at your father's hands while still a child. In another, you are in prison for murdering your father. And in a few, you were never born. We will simply place you on another Earth where you never lived in a time that you know nothing about. You will not be able to damage that timeline due to your unfamiliarity with the events. You will be alive but never see your sister or your friends ever again."

Reeling from their threat, Leonard realized that they understood his buttons. He hoped Mick had taken his message to Lisa. No matter his choice, he'd stay away from her. If he died working for the Elders, it would just be cruel to put her through that loss again. Let her live her life without him. His thoughts turned to Rip's team. He was startled to understand how much he needed to see them again.

"When do I start?"

"So you had no heart. Or lungs?" Professor Stein was fascinated. These Elders had a technology that surpassed his wildest dreams.

Tightening his lips, Leonard turned to his questioner. He touched the center of his chest with his right hand. "This. All of this was gone."

"How did they do it?" Mick was curious. His armor had protected him as Chronos and all his wounds had been rather minor.

"Just like when Rip regenerated my hand."

"Wait. What? When?"

They all turned to look at Mick.

"When he froze his hand off to escape your ship. Don't you remember?" Stein was appalled at Mr. Rory' seeming callousness.

"All I remember is how pissed off I was. How much I wanted to kill you all." Mick looked at Snart. "I had always thought you had a lock pick I didn't find."

"Nope."

"Can we get back to more current events?" Rip pleaded. He really needed to know as much as he could about these Elders. Would they interfere with his team and his current plans?

Leonard had reached up to rub his chest again. Sara realized that it had become a habit for him as if he needed to check that he was whole. After his hand had been regenerated, he'd taken to fiddling with a gold coin. He was lost in some memory.

Mick stood up and topped off everyone's glass. He paused at his partner's glass and refilled it when he got no response. Silence filled the room again until Ray broke it.

"So if they're going to use you to steal and break in, why would they have needed me?" Ray was still miffed at the lost opportunity.

"I don't know, Raymond, it wasn't high on my list of things to find out." Leonard broke the lock his memories had on him. He wasn't going to share everything that he remembered with them. Bad enough that he relived the events in his dreams.

"You said they'd let you meet up with us after a mission. Where, or should I say, when did you go first?" Stein was curious about the events that Mr. Snart would guide.

"I haven't gone anywhere yet. They said I needed time to assimilate everything before sending me off." Leonard didn't know the depths of their plan for assimilation. He'd be furious when he learned what they'd done to him.

"How will you know when you have to leave?" Sara wondered how much time they'd have.

"My ship."

"That's right. You have to have your own time ship. Gideon," Rip called out, "where is Mr. Snart's ship?"

"The Iceberg is behind the oil tanks north of our position."

"Seriously? Iceberg?" Jax thought Snart was taking this whole _Cold_ thing a bit too far.

Leonard sliced his eyes over at the kid. He was still shaken by everything and had latched onto what was familiar and comfortable when he'd chosen that name. "You got something to say about it?"

"Uh uh." The other half of Firestorm had learned when to back down when Snart got that look in his eye.

"Will you be with us for the next few hours Mr. Snart?" Rip was curious about the Elders but he could tell that their returned comrade was done with sharing for the time being.

"As far as I know. Geoffrey said we don't leave until tomorrow."

"Geoffrey? What the hell?"

"Mick, I didn't give the AI its name. The ship came with it." Raising the glass, Leonard slugged down his fourth shot. The whiskey was kicking in. For once, he didn't limit himself. Maybe tonight he wouldn't have any nightmares.

"Are you staying here? Your room is still yours, Mr. Snart." Rip was afraid if Snart went over to his own ship that it might choose to spirit him away on its own.

Standing up, the room began to sway a bit. Leonard could count the number of times he'd been drunk on one hand. He realized that he might have trouble walking back. "I think I'd better..."

"Gideon. Could you contact Mr. Snart's ship and..."

"Already done Captain. Geoffrey confirmed that Mr. Snart does not need to return until tomorrow."

Stein, Jax, and Ray left the bridge first after professing how glad they were that he was alive. Leonard was carefully placing one foot in front of the other with Mick and Sara on either side as they headed out. When they reached Mick's room, the two men entered. Sara was certain that they needed to talk without anyone else around and headed down the corridor.

"Sit!" Mick shoved Snart down in the chair. "You're keeping something back."

"I'm keeping a lot back, Mick. You know me. I play my cards close to my chest." Leonard tried to smile but failed. His face felt stiff. A random series of events connected all of a sudden. "You! When you called me to come to G3 and then couldn't really talk to me. Right before the job where you got burned. You said I was a hero to you. That was you after I died wasn't it?"

Mick knew how strong Snart's memory was. That he'd made that connection didn't startle Mick as much as it would have the others. "Yeah. I had to say something to you. You died for me. Why? And don't give me some bullshit about knowing you would die."

"But that's it, Mick." Leonard leaned forward. "I controlled your life the way we were being controlled by the Time Masters. I hated them for that. I just had to do it. Had to give you back your choices for your own life."

"And now you've got your life back. You seen Lisa?"

"No. And I'm not going to."

Mick was surprised. He'd have thought his partner would have gone to see her first. She was the only light in his life. He watched as Snart's eyes looked into some memory. Then he blinked and was back.

"No. From what these Elders implied, this job is dangerous. I don't want Lisa dealing with me dying again. How did she...?"

"Hard." Wanting to change the subject, Mick dug into his pocket and pulled out the Freeport ring. Holding it out, he said, "Here. This belongs to you."

Leonard tilted his chin up as he leaned back against the chair. "I left it with you. Right now, my life is my symbol for consequences."

Understanding that Snart didn't need the ring as a reminder any more, Mick put it away safely as an idea blossomed. "You gonna talk to Sara?"

"About what?"

"Don't be a fucking idiot. There is something going on between you two. You have to settle it."

"Do I?" After telling his former team his tale, Leonard was drained. He didn't know what he wanted to say to Sara. "Look. I'm going to feel like crap tomorrow if I don't get some sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

"You won't sneak out?"

"I'll try not to. I have no idea what time we have to leave."

"You're on a time ship. It's always on time." Mick stood first. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Night." Leonard got up and walked out with the deliberation of a drunken man trying not to appear drunk. He didn't get very far.

"Hey." Sara had been waiting patiently for him by his door. She glided up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Hugging her back, Leonard forced himself to say what he'd spent many hours trying to figure out. He pushed back from her embrace until he could look her in the eye. "I need you to take some time first."

Confused, Sara asked, "Time for what?"

"Time to be sure about what you want. With you...and me."

"I know what I want."

"No, I don't think you do." Leonard really wished he wasn't drunk. He had wanted to keep all his wits about him for the conversation he knew they had to have. "When I first told you how I felt, you got angry." He held up his finger to stop her from speaking. "Let me finish. You kissed me when I was going to die. Then you kissed me when I came back to life. Both times. All of it was a reaction to events. I'm alive but I'm not back. Not with the team and not with you. There may be days, weeks even, between times when we see each other. Is that really what you want?"

Sara felt her breath catch in her throat. "I want to find out what we can have."

"Fine. Then the next time I meet up with you all, we can have this conversation again. Think about it. I'm in no rush but I don't want to lose what we have. Not now. From what the Elders hinted at, I'm going to need...I don't know what but if you are acting out of impulse, you'll regret it and then what?"

Taken aback, Sara realized that Leonard had a good point. She had been so happy to see him alive. She was happy. "Alright. I'll wait. But I'm not going to change my mind." She pulled his head down so she could kiss him good night and left him at his door.

His room was bare. "I guess they did recycle everything," he muttered to himself.

"On the contrary, Mr. Snart. Ms. Lance has your coat and everything that was in it." Gideon had illuminated the room as he entered and, remembering his preferences, had changed the screen to show a snowscape.

He tossed his coat onto the chair, kicked off his boots, and fell into bed. Drawing the covers over himself, he was asleep within moments.

"Ms. Lance?"

It took Sara a moment to realize that Gideon was calling her out of a deep sleep. "What?"

"I believe that Mr. Snart needs assistance."

Sara threw back the covers. "What do you mean?"

"He's having nightmares."

"How...oh yeah, you can see our dreams. Are they bad?"

"I believe that they are related to events after he was brought back to life."

"He told us about that."

"Not about this. I think you should go to him."

Leonard was sitting on the edge of the bed when the door opened. Taking the heels of his hands from his eyes, he saw that it was Sara. "What are you doing here?"

"Gideon said that you were having nightmares. Want to talk about it?"

"I've said all I want to say." He'd kept the worst memories to himself; he'd always been a private person. Realizing that Sara was not going to just go away, he looked down at the floor. "I just don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Want some company? You'll never get to sleep if you don't relax."

"What did you have in mind?" Suspicious, Leonard pulled his thoughts out of his past. Sara was quick witted but he would not bend on his decision.

"Sex would definitely relax you..and me. But since that's off the table, for now, just take off your shirt." She grinned.

"And how is me stripping not going to lead to sex?"

"Just your shirt unless..."

Leonard didn't want her to see his scars.

Sauntering up to where he sat on the edge of his bed, Sara looked up into his eyes. She didn't realize how she was mirroring the time he'd told her how he'd felt. "You know, the next time we see each other you're going to have to take it all off." She lifted her eyebrow and smirked.

Knowing when to give up, Leonard took off his shirt.

"Lie down on your stomach. I know a few massage tricks that should help ease those knots."

Turning onto his stomach, Leonard felt Sara jump onto the bed and then settle herself down across his hips. He nestled his head into his crossed arms and waited.

Sara rubbed her hands together to heat them up. Once she was satisfied with their warmth, she started working on the base of his neck. "You really are a mess, you know? You must have one killer headache."

"I thought that was the whiskey."

"That too." She continued to work in silence. She'd unintentionally seen him shirtless months before after Russia. Now she took her time to admire the view. Her lips tightened as her gaze traveled over some of the scars. They were old; he must have had them most of his life. She recognized a few as cigarette burns. Sara's hands moved farther down and started to loosen his trapezius muscles. Tilting her head, she tried to determine what was bothering her. Then it struck her. She could see where he'd been regenerated. Where there had once been a hole in his body. The hole that had killed him. The skin where he'd been healed was slightly different in skin tone and a few scars were cut off with an abruptness that was unnatural. Her breath came a bit ragged.

Leonard was shaken out of a doze by her gasp. Her hands had stopped briefly. "What's wrong?" He was afraid of what she'd say. That she'd be disgusted by how he looked. "The scars?"

"Noo. Not exactly. Oliver had a lot of scars."

"Oliver? You and Queen?" A few more facts fell into place.

"It's been a few years. But I would never have joined the League of Assassins if I hadn't been shipwrecked with him. And if I'd never had their training, I would not be here right now trying to get you to relax. So relax, damnit." A smile came through her voice.

"Or what? Hey!" Leonard couldn't really duck in case she smacked him again. "So if it's not the scars, then what?"

"You are persistent."

He smiled into his arms. She had no idea. He wasn't giving up on her; he just needed Sara to know her own mind about them. He hoped she would still feel strongly about him, about them, the next time he saw her. "So?"

"It's just...I...I can see where they regenerated your injury. I believe you about what happened and all. It's just suddenly so real looking at this."

"You want to know what I was dreaming about?" Leonard was inexplicably driven by the need to share with Sara. Mick would never be able to understand why it bothered him so much and he wasn't close to any of the others to share this memory.

Digging her palm into his back, she said, "If it will help you."

Realizing it was easier when he wasn't looking at her, Leonard took a deep breath. "When Rip replaced my hand, Gideon was pumping me full of pain killers yet it still hurt. A lot. The nerves, you see, were reconnecting. So. My spinal column was gone. Once it was regenerated, all the nerves that affected everything below my chest were reconnecting. And the Elders didn't think about pain meds." His shoulders tightened up as he remembered trying to writhe away from whatever was causing the pain and being unable to move a centimeter. His muscles had twitched and shaken without any conscious control on his part. The only relief he'd found was when he finally lost consciousness. Several times. He shuddered and felt Sara's hands trying to ease the new tightness. A warm drop fell on his shoulder. Before he could say anything, he felt Sara's lips brush the wet spot before she sat up again.

"I hate what they put you through. But if they hadn't, we wouldn't have had this second chance. So I am grateful for that."

Leonard felt a tightness inside that he hadn't realized he was carrying relax. He had other nightmares about recent events, but that was one of the worst. "I think I'd better get some sleep. Thank you." Unspoken was the knowledge that it wasn't just for the backrub. Sara moved off so he could turn over.

"Shall I tuck you in?" Sara teased. She watched as he threw the cover over his legs and started to settle down. She surprised him when she scooted down next to him on top of the covers.

"Sara." He didn't want to have to fend her off. He was drained from sharing and still feeling the effects of the whiskey.

Leaning her chin on his chest so she could look him in the eye, she said, "Your virtue is safe. Tonight." At his glare, she added. "And tomorrow." She lay her head down against his shoulder and with her right hand, she clasped his left across his body. "Gideon, turn out the light please." Curled up against Leonard, Sara quickly dropped off to sleep. Leonard was not far behind.

Disoriented for a moment, Leonard tried to figure out where he was when he woke. By the glow from the floor panels, he knew he was on a ship. The weight against his side shifted and he looked down to see Sara's tousled hair across his chest. He wanted to stretch but stayed still so as not to disturb her. He spent a few minutes reviewing what he'd shared with her the night before and was oddly glad he'd done so.

"Penny for your thoughts." Sara lifted her head and smiled. "I could hear you thinking." Rising slightly, she slid upward and kissed him. "Good morning." _Give it a shot_ , she thought and started to kiss him more thoroughly.

Leonard lost himself for a moment and then remembered his resolve. He just wished his body would agree that it was the right choice for now. Gently, he pushed her away, "So much for my virtue being safe."

Settling back down, she snuggled against his side. "Next time." She knew that she was certain where her heart lay with regards to Leonard. She had never had long lasting relationships but she'd stayed close to her lovers Oliver and Nyssa. Sara knew that neither she nor Leonard was a lifelong commitment kind of person. Instead, they could enjoy the time they would have together and be stronger for that bonding.

"I need a shower. Meet you for breakfast?" If she didn't leave soon, he'd need a much colder shower than he really wanted.

Taking the hint, Sara slipped off the bed and headed to her own room.

Mick had woken up early to put his plan into motion. He'd gone down the machine shop before heading to the galley. He was making coffee when Snart entered. He waited while his former partner poured himself a cup and fixed it to his satisfaction. Once he'd settled down on a stool, Mick stuck his hand out with the offering.

Leonard saw the Freeport ring resting on Mick's palm but it was different. When Mick shifted his hand, the ring turned into two; Mick had cut it width-wise. Leonard picked up one of the rings and placed it on his right pinky finger. Mick closed his fingers around the remaining ring and placed it in his breast pocket. Nothing more needed to be said between the two lifelong partners.

The rest of the team straggled into the galley. Conversation bounced around on various topics as they skirted around the fact that time was running short for Snart's stay.

Professor Stein had been trying to think of a way to keep the thief connected to them and had finally come up with a plan. "Do you play chess, Mr. Snart?"

"Never learned. Why?"

"I talked with Gideon and she and Geoffrey are establishing a dedicated link. It wouldn't necessarily be instantaneous but we can communicate. I thought we could play a game since we could send the moves to each other. Unlike cards, there is no need for immediacy."

Decisively nodding his head, "I'll learn." Knowing that he was in contact with them would help ease his solitude. Leonard had always had Lisa or Mick and lately the team to be near. Now he'd be truly on his own and he wasn't sure how he'd deal with that.

 _I'll learn too_ , thought Sara. It wouldn't be their card game but it would be a way of letting Leonard know that she was thinking of him. That was point, she believed, of Stein's suggestion.

All too soon, Gideon broke in. "Captain. Geoffrey is saying that you have to leave."

Leonard took a deep breath. He'd known that he'd have to say goodbye; he was surprised at how much it was affecting him. He'd prided himself on not playing by the rules; now he had to follow these new rules or the consequences would be too overwhelming for him.

Jax stepped forward first. "We'll see you around, man. Take care of yourself."

"I'll keep an eye out for Mick," Raymond was dead serious but Leonard saw Mick roll his eyes behind the tech's back.

"I'll expect you to learn the rules of chess rather quickly, Mr. Snart. With your intelligence, you should be a worthy opponent soon." Stein gave the man credit where it was due. He had watched the younger man grow a conscience as he learned about the depths that had been hidden all those years. Barry Allen had seen through him first and found that there was good in him.

Rip held out his hand. "You have given me a lot to think about with regards to these Elders. You also validate what I had planned for our next course of action. We shall work together to ensure that events go as intended. I look forward to seeing you again and soon."

Mick and Sara walked to the bay door alongside their friend. Mick spoke first. "Don't do anything stupid like getting yourself killed." He picked up Snart's gun where he'd stashed it the night before. "You'll need this." The two exchanged a look that spoke of a long history before Mick turned and headed back into the Waverider leaving Sara to say goodbye.

Her smile was full of warmth. "I know you said to think about things, and I will, but I know what my answer is going to be. Make sure you get a good night's sleep before you come back because I guarantee you, you won't get any sleep when we see each other again."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Both."

He opened his arms as she settled against him and hugged her tightly. "I'll see you soon." He kissed her quickly and turned away before he lost his resolve. Lifting his chin, Leonard Snart headed towards his own ship and his own destiny.

The door of the Iceberg shut behind him with a swoosh. His ship was smaller than the Waverider containing only two levels. He climbed up to the bridge. Seated in the command chair, he started the liftoff sequence with Geoffrey giving a few minor corrections as he went through the procedure. Soon, they were in the time stream.

"Captain, you have several hours before we reach our new destination. You might continue setting up your office."

Leonard turned from the forward port and faced left. He had an office, about the size of Rip's but definitely more modern. He'd been in Central City for two days before meeting up with the team. Geoffrey had created some cash so he'd gone on a spree for what the ship could not fabricate. He'd chosen a black walnut dining table for his desk. The accompanying chairs he spaced around the room against two of the walls. A black leather couch took up another wall. He'd chosen one long enough that he could stretch out on. He'd always liked to read while lying on a couch. Realizing he'd be spending a lot of time doing research and studying, the office chair he'd chosen was also very comfortable. He sat down in it to see if he'd placed the furniture the way he wanted. The bookcases behind him were currently empty but he had plans to fill them with...things. He swiveled the chair as he pondered the room's arrangement. A tablet connected to Geoffrey's immense files rested on the table within easy reach. A thick plush sapphire blue carpet covered the floor in front of his desk. He'd chosen the table for his desk since it could serve a dual purpose. The galley was short on table space. It had a bar and two stools which was fine for quick meal. So Leonard had chosen as his desk a table that could also serve as a dining room table. He had an idea for the next time he saw Sara. He wasn't a romantic man by nature, but he knew how to seduce a mark. Sara was no mark, but he thought she'd like a candlelit dinner. Geoffrey had assured him that he could replicate any meal chosen rather than relying on freeze dried food such as they'd gotten on the Waverider. At least there were a few perks on this ship.

The office wall had several video screens. One of them now showed a chess board set up for a game. It seemed that he had better learn the rules soon.

The med bay was more complete than that of the Waverider. It took up a good half of the right side of the ship next to his office. It supported the Elders' claim that his new job would be dangerous. With no other human on board, the AI would have to be able to keep him alive if and when he was hurt.

The other side of the top floor had his bedroom and bath and the galley. It was the bathroom that had surprised him the most. It came with a tub. When he'd questioned Geoffrey about it, the AI had pointed out that it had three taps instead of just hot and cold. The middle tap poured out a liquid gel that would help heal burns and wounds. It did not escape Leonard's notice that the tub could easily accommodate his long body. There was even a headrest to make sure that he did not slide under the surface when it was filled. It had been a sobering discovery.

"So when are we going?" Leonard was ready to start his first mission.

0-0-0-0

"Captain."

Rip looked up from the chart he was perusing. "What is it Gideon?"

"I regret to inform you that I failed to follow your command."

Straightening up, Rip faced the AI's image that had materialized. "To what are you referring?"

"The scan of Mr. Snart in the med bay."

Crossing his arms, Rip said, "Explain."

"I received a code at 17:25. I require assistance to remove the command line." Gideon had become more self-aware due to contact with Rip Hunter and going far beyond the original specifications of her system. As such, she was aware of the limitation command while still being unable to break it from within.

Rip went to a screen and called up Gideon's files and found the command she'd received. "It appears to have come from Mr. Snart's ship. Let me..." His fingers raced across the keys until he found a way to bypass the command. "There. How is that?"

"Acceptable Captain." Gideon scanned her own files and discovered what she'd been ordered to conceal. "The command kept me from fulfilling my orders when I scanned Mr. Snart's physical well-being. I believe that since his ship's AI was built by a vastly superior race than the Time Council; it superseded my own protocols. I was forced to omit some data when I reported to you both."

"How dangerous is this omission?"

"I do not believe that there is any danger to this team or Mr. Snart."

"So why did you receive the order?" Now Rip was confused.

"Mr. Snart seems to have a biochip inserted into the cerebellum."

"And that..."

"It is the part of the brain that controls memory," Stein said as he entered the office. He'd come to the bridge to see what their next move was and had caught most of Gideon's announcement. "It controls procedural memories as well as motor control. Gideon. What would be the purpose of such a chip?"

"Let me show you." A screen flickered and an image appeared. "The chip is rather small and does not appear to have done any damage to the surrounding tissue. It seems that the circuit is being used to download information into Mr. Snart's brain."

"Oh my. Gideon Any idea what type of information?"

"I cannot tell from my scan."

The two men looked at each other.

"We need to keep this quiet. No need to worry any of the others."

"And when we see Mr. Snart again?"

"You and I, Martin, will have a plan in place. I need you to study all the medical data that Gideon has so we can figure out a way to remove the chip without causing harm to Mr. Snart."

"Certainly. I can only hope he does not find out about it before hand."

"Why?"

"Because he is stubborn enough to try to remove it himself."

They both knew that Professor Stein was right. Leonard Snart had killed himself to make sure that the Time Masters never controlled anyone, especially him, ever again. He would not accept this new development with grace.

* * *

 _from Cut Strings*_


	2. Chapter 2

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter Two**

 _Warning for strong language and adult situations but not R._

* * *

Inside the Iceberg, the only way Leonard could tell it was morning was when Geoffrey turned up the lights. Leonard could do nothing more than groan as he opened his eyes. "Turn those damn lights down," he barked. His head was pounding so hard that his eyes were watering.

"Captain? Another headache?"

Rolling to one side, Leonard had to use the edge of the bed to help him stand. "What's causing them? I've never had headaches like this. Is it from dying and them messing with my brain to keep it alive?" If that was the cause, Leonard really wished that he'd stayed dead.

"I do not believe so, sir. The pain you are experiencing has no direct correlation to your being brought back to life." It was, however, related to the Elders and Geoffrey was not allowed to share that information about the cause quite yet. "At least you don't appear to be suffering from nightmares any more." Geoffrey was not as intrusive as Gideon was with her crew. He was aware that Captain Cold had nightmares; he did not directly observe them.

"I think I'd rather have the nightmares." By this time Leonard had made it to the bathroom and the bottle of aspirin. Palming several, he took them with a healthy swig of water poured from the tap. Shaking the pill bottle, he realized he was running through the aspirin rather quickly.

Interpreting the gesture, Geoffrey said, "I have more in storage, Captain. Box 201 in the port side storage bay has basic medical supplies.

"And when we run out?" If these headaches persisted, he'd need cases of aspirin. Leonard's next goal was coffee.

"We can always purchase it when we land for a mission."

Leonard still had a hard time realizing that he didn't have to steal to survive since Geoffrey could manufacture money to purchase anything he had to have. Now, he stole only for the satisfaction and thrill. "Fine. So what are we working on today?" Leonard finished doctoring his coffee and headed towards his office.

"I've pulled together the reports you asked for. When will we undertake the actual mission?"

"I'm used to taking a couple of weeks..." he held up his hand to forestall what he anticipated Geoffrey's response to be. "But that was when I had to do all the legwork. We should be good to go in a day or two. What's the rush? We're in a time ship."

"Yes sir, but we have been given four assignments to complete before our schedule allows time to rendezvous with the Waverider." Geoffrey had not shared the complete list of missions that the Elders wanted Leonard to undertake as their agent. Some of the events had higher priority, but the Elders needed Leonard to learn how to complete a few successful missions in assuring key events. There was one mission that they feared would break their newest agent. However, out of all of their agents, Leonard Snart had the best chance for success. But first he needed some successful missions to help him trust Geoffrey. Trust was key to that mission.

Leonard practically snarled; there was that carrot. He didn't need any reminders about what he'd been promised. It wasn't that he had to complete a set number of missions and then he'd get some time off. It had more to do with completing a mission at the same time the Waverider crew finished one of theirs. With the two ships in constant communication, the AIs would know and make the arrangements for a rendezvous. Geoffrey had predicted when they'd have that break next. Leonard had completed two simple assignments already. Those had dealt with removing sensitive papers from government offices. In one case destroying them, and in the other, placing the documents where they'd be easily discovered. Simple for a master thief. This new assignment was different. His skills as a thief weren't needed at all. He smirked to himself; that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't going to use them.

Entering his office, he pulled out the map he'd had Geoffrey manufacture and laid it on the desk. It was covered with pencil marks showing several possible paths to the target and known dangers. This was like nothing he'd ever planned before. He needed to have all possible problems figured out before they became problems. It wasn't his skills that were lacking; this job had numerous variables that he just was not used to. While the headaches had only appeared as he woke up, with an unknown cause, he was afraid that they would start showing up during his waking hours too. If one struck while he was on this job; it would get him killed. When he voiced his concern to Geoffrey, the AI assured him that he'd given no indication that the headaches would affect him later in the day. Leonard could always take aspirin right before leaving to guard against one possibly starting. Geoffrey tried again to get a start time stating that he needed to update the Elders of the mission's status.

Leonard refused to be rushed by Geoffrey or the Elders. All during his time on the Waverider, he'd been forced to follow Rip's plans. Those had been mostly off the cuff and never executed with the meticulous care that he himself insisted on for his heists. While this wasn't a heist exactly, Leonard still wanted to make sure that he had every contingency figured out. He had no backup and it was his life on the line. This job, however, had a bonus. He had learned that a lot of things were going to be destroyed. He had been making a shopping list; he wanted to begin filling his bookcase with trophies.

By the end of the day, he was certain of his plan. Unlike before, he had instant access to timelines, people movement, etc. via Geoffrey's immense database. So all he really had to do was memorize the timing of his various actions as he went to the target; Geoffrey would be on comm to guide him with up-to-the-minute data. Geoffrey had fabricated protective gear in addition to the specialized tools he'd need. Leonard had been a little intimidated with what he was going against. Fire was Mick's element, not his.

Running it through one more time, he was finally satisfied. Tomorrow they'd go.

While it was morning ship-time, the Iceberg landed at night. Before doing anything, Leonard had to wait for the latest headache to subside. Feeling naked without a gun, he checked his coat's pockets to make sure he had everything he needed, walked out of the Iceberg, and straight into hell.

Bombs were flying through the air as Leonard strode down the streets of London. He'd left the Iceberg on top of a warehouse near the Thames. Numerous fires glowed as they turned the night of December 29, 1940 into Dante's Inferno. Every few minutes another wave of planes flew overhead spewing out incendiary bombs onto the city below. Leonard's uniform looked like that of any other fire watcher; however, Geoffrey had fabricated his clothing, gloves, and helmet so that they could protect him from brief contact with the intense heat of an incendiary bomb. His mission was to get very close to one specific bomb. Without Mick to watch his six, he kept swiveling his head around to be aware of everything around him. If part of a building fell on him, it wouldn't matter how fireproof his clothing was, he would still be dead or trapped and wounded.

He was traveling through the war-torn streets of London while almost everyone else was down in the Underground tunnels for protection from the bombs being dropped by the Germans. The buildings which he passed were locked up tight. That, as he'd learned from his research, had been a large part of the problem. With no one to see where an incendiary bomb landed, it could not be put out in time and would start a fire. That was why a large part of London was currently burning. The Thames River was at low ebb and there just wasn't enough available water for all the hoses needed to extinguish the flames. Germany had planned its attack well.

For this mission to work, Leonard had to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. "How much farther?" he asked over his comm. He'd memorized various maps of the area but several buildings were reduced to rubble; many of his chosen landmarks had been altered or eradicated. He was forced to climb over piles of rubble that weren't on any of Geoffrey's maps. He had before and after maps from the Blitz but not during.

"The Cathedral is right in front of you. You should be able to sight it soon." Geoffrey was tracking Leonard and knew where he was in relation to their goal. Leonard believed that the tracker was in his clothing. He was incorrect.

Sure enough, two minutes later, Leonard could see the dome of St. Paul's looming ahead. It was outlined by the flames of fires burning all around it. He started to jog. The sooner he was done with this job, the sooner he could get away from the intense heat. Geoffrey assured him that he was on schedule. Once he reached the cathedral, Leonard joined the other men on the fire watch filing into the building. There were over one hundred scattered throughout; all were under orders by Churchill to protect St. Paul's Cathedral. Unlike the others, Leonard knew exactly where he had to go. He climbed the rickety steps until he was against wall directly under the inner dome. No one was around since the brick dome was high above the walkway. He checked to see that there was no one watching him before he took off his coat and reversed it. Now, wearing mottled black and grey, he vanished against the gloomy walls. He pulled out the GPS that Geoffrey had given him and activated it. "How much farther?" This GPS was synced to location and time. When the two points matched, he'd have his target. If only they'd had this nifty little device when hunting Vandal Savage.

"Keep climbing." Geoffrey waited until the locator told him Leonard was at a point on the walkway that was closest to the target. "Stop. You now need..."

"I got it." Leonard knew the plan; he had just needed his frame of reference to shoot. He pulled out a grappling gun from an inner pocket, aimed, and fired at the target far above. He clipped one end of the cable to the harness he was wearing and triggered the motor. It jerked him up through the air so that he could reach the dome's inner wall. _Just like the Arrow_ he snickered. "How much longer?"

"It is headed your way now."

Leonard took a deep breath. He had to be careful. His protective gear would help against a brief touch but any lengthy contact with the ignited incendiary bomb and he'd go up like a torch. He felt rather than heard the bomb strike above his head. Brick fractured and pieces fell with some striking him on the helmet. The lead began to melt from the intense heat and droplets fell down around him with several striking him. Dispassionately, he watched the lead droplets solidify against the fabric of his sleeve rather than scorch their way through to his skin. He twitched his arm and watched the cooled lead drop away into the darkness. It was nice to know that Geoffrey hadn't lied about that. Leonard knew from reading the news reports that no one on the floor below could climb high enough to reach the lodged bomb while those outside on the Stone Galley could not get close enough to snag it either. The reports had said that it was just dumb luck that the bomb had fallen outwards rather than inside causing the whole cathedral to go up in flames. He was there to augment that luck and ensure that this bomb did not destroy St. Paul's Cathedral.

He pulled out a second device. A very strong magnet. While the bomb was mostly aluminum, the nose was made out of steel. The plan was to send a pulse from the magnet that would repel the bomb out and away from the dome. Leonard triggered the magnet. He was shoved away from the target point himself. He should have realized that by hanging there, he was a pendulum. Geoffrey had assured him that the magnet would work instantly. Wrong. As the lighter of the two objects, Leonard moved first. He turned off the magnet.

"Captain. The bomb is still in the dome."

"No shit. I'm right under it." Leonard knew he didn't have much time before it melted enough of the lead to allow it to fall into the cathedral. He pulled his right leg up and yanked a knife out of his boot. Turning on the grapple's motor briefly, he was drawn up until he was pressed up against the dome. He stabbed the knife into the mortar between bricks as an anchor to keep him in place. This brought him very close to the bomb. The heat poured off it in waves and more lead fell down on him. With his right hand, he turned on the magnet again but this time he thumbed the dial all the way up. The force slammed him backwards into the brick dome while simultaneously shoving the bomb out and away just like the history books recorded. Jolted, the motor released some of the cable dropping him a few feet before the brake kicked in.

Stunned, Leonard dangled on the cable before using the motor to draw himself back up to the ceiling. He wanted his knife. Reaching up, he had his hand wrapped around it when hot fire pierced his wrist. His sleeve had pulled back and some molten lead had found the gap. Hissing at the pain, he shook his hand to dislodge the metal. He couldn't see the wound but he wiggled his fingers and found that he could still move them. Yanking the knife out of the wall, he reversed the motor until he was a bit below the height of the staircase. Surreally, he swung like a child on a swing until his feet could touch the stairs. Standing on the platform, he punched a code into the base of the grappling hook and a small explosive at the grapple's tip blew it out of the ceiling. Touching a second button pulled the cable back into the base allowing Leonard to return the grappling hook to his pocket. He reversed his coat again to allow him to blend in with the fire fighters down below.

Leaning against the wall, he headed down the stairs. On a landing, he saw a bucket of water and plunged his hand into it to ease the pain. Once the throbbing diminished, he continued down to the ground floor and out a side door. He tried to check his wrist but he couldn't see well enough to determine how badly he'd been wounded. He knew he could use his hand and that was enough for now. Now it was time to put his own personal plan into action.

"Sir?" Geoffrey realized that Leonard had moved up Ivy Lane instead of south down Godliman Street and the Thames. "Do you need me to guide you in?"

"Nope. I'm going shopping. I'll be back before you know it." Leonard reached up and turned off his comm. He had turned off the GPS but knew that whatever other tracking device he carried would allow the AI to follow his progress. It didn't matter; he just didn't want to listen to Geoffrey yapping at him.

He headed north to Paternoster Row. There were no treasures that he knew of, no artworks, no gems. But Leonard liked things too. He'd never had a chance to hold onto what he stole. A guy had to eat after all and pay rent. But here and now, thousands of rare books were about to go up in flames. He broke into F. G. Longman's building. With so many windows at the front, he could see enough to move deeper into the store before turning on his flashlight. This building and all the tomes inside would be ash by morning. He walked down the aisles with his fingers brushing against the leather spines. He pulled out a first edition of Robinson Crusoe, a new copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Further down the aisle, he found other first editions by Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Southey. He pulled out a few more volumes and then stopped. No need getting greedy. With his pockets full of books, he walked out the front door. Leonard placed the comm back into his ear. "I'm heading back. Get ready to take off."

Geoffrey didn't respond; there was nothing he could say. His captain had done the job he'd been ordered to. His delay should not jeopardize anything so long as he returned before the next wave of fighters arrived. Leonard didn't know that his tracking device sent telemetry about his health status. Geoffrey knew the moment he'd been wounded but also that it wasn't life threatening. The AI postulated that the wounds were burns of some type and began preparing syringes and gel baths. His job was to keep his captain in one piece. His job was also to keep the ship in one piece and Leonard's delay had changed their timetable. He realized that the ship was now in danger as planes appeared on the radar.

The Iceberg's door opened as Leonard approached and then closed almost on his heels. "What's the rush?"

"Please come to the bridge. We must take off as a wave of planes will be dropping bombs directly over our current location."

"Why did you pick this spot then?"

"If you had returned immediately, we would no longer be here thus not be in danger."

Leonard couldn't argue with that as he ran up the stairs to the bridge. He peeled off the jacket and dropped it on the floor before seating himself in the command chair. The Iceberg was very maneuverable but he was still learning how to fly it. He was able to dodge the first set of bombs but not the next.

An alarm blared as the ship was rocked to one side. "Turn that damn thing off!" Leonard was able to pick a lock with chaos going on around him but trying to pilot in combat conditions while he was a novice was difficult. He flew up and, under Geoffrey's direction, slipped into the time stream. "So what was that alarm?"

"We were hit on the port side, sir. The cooling system to the engines on that side have ruptured and some of the compressor blades on the turbine have been bent. We need to land the Iceberg to allow you to make repairs."

Geoffrey had already identified safe havens in time and place and guided Leonard to one. The landing was rough but the ship suffered no further serious damage.

Shoving himself out of the chair, Leonard stopped long enough to open a panel and grab a tool kit. "How much damage is there?"

"Before you begin to work on the turbine, I suggest you go to the med bay and medicate the burns you received."

"How did you...?"

"Telemetry showed that you were injured and I postulated that it was a burn due to the situation that you were in. Am I not correct?"

"Yeah." Leonard went down to the med bay and found the tray. "What do I do?"

"The syringe will deaden the pain and the gel should help the burn heal."

"What about feeling in my hand?"

"The syringe will affect the nerves, yes."

"If I'm to fix the turbine, I need to have all my feeling in my fingers." Leonard pushed the syringe aside and using the gauze pad and bottle of water, cleaned the burn. He peered down at it; it was deep but not to the bone. The gel was soothing and he wrapped a bandage around his wrist to cover the treated burn. "So what about the engine?"

"I had slowed the engines to the lowest possible speed to help prevent warping. However, coolant is leaking faster than before. The rupture in the hose must be widening. Three blades will have to be replaced."

Leaving the med bay, Leonard headed down to the second floor. The sound of hissing showed him where the damage was as he reached the next level. Leonard dropped the kit onto the deck and pulled out a wrench to open the panel. "Is there damage to the blade's internal cooling?" he asked.

"No. Diagnostics show that the low pressure compressor will have to be taken off-line to remove the blades for replacement but the surrounding blades will function perfectly."

"Fine." Leonard was silent as he quickly began to loosen the bolts to the housing. He was in the process of removing the first blade when he realized what he was doing. He'd never let emotion get in the way of a job before; it took all his immense will to keep his focus on the job at hand. He finished removing the bent turbines and, under Geoffrey's direction, found replacements in stores. Three hours later, the engine was back online.

Leonard stalked back to the bridge and threw down the tool kit. "What the hell did your Elders do to me?!"

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Captain Hunter?"

"Yes, Gideon."

"I am receiving a message from the Iceberg. Geoffrey is requesting to speak with you."

Rip stood up and exchanged a glance with Professor Stein. The two men had been debriefing about their last mission. Maybe this was it. "Go ahead, Gideon."

"Greetings Captain Hunter. I regret that I need your assistance."

"So did Mr. Snart find out about the chip in his brain?"

There was complete silence over the open channel for a moment. "How did you discover the chip's presence?"

"Gideon realized that you broadcast a command to keep certain information from us and Mr. Snart. I found the command and eradicated it from her system thus allowing her to determine exactly what it was about."

"I see. That is unfortunate."

"Unfortunate that we know the truth?" Stein was outraged.

"No. That you learned the truth before it could be explained."

"Perhaps you'd better tell us why you contacted us." Rip had spent years arguing with AIs and had learned that one would not talk until it was ready to explain.

"Captain Cold has found out as well."

"Ohhhh. I bet that went over well." While Mr. Snart was no longer the man he was when they first met, Rip knew the thief would not take being manipulated once again very well.

"Wait. Captain Cold?" Stein was worried that Mr. Snart was reverting to his former criminal self. He'd grown so much while he'd been a member of their team that it would be a great loss if he reverted to his former attitudes.

"Indeed. He insists that the chip be removed immediately. And Professor Stein, my protocols demand that I address my captain as Captain. He refused to be addressed as Captain Snart. Captain Cold was the compromise."

"Do you blame him for wanting it out of his head?" Rip brought the conversation back to the real problem. "How can we help Mr. Snart?"

"He needs to listen to reason."

"Your reasons or the Elders?"

"They are one and the same. The chip's purpose is vital at this juncture."

"We'll help Mr. Snart. Whether that means what you hope depends on what we all learn. Tell us when and where to meet you Geoffrey."

Geoffrey had been unable to take off from the safe haven. Leonard insisted that they contact the Waverider to come to them and refused to pilot the ship anywhere. Geoffrey admitted that Leonard had to be asleep for the implanting of information to happen so Leonard resolved not to sleep. First, he made sure that all the damage to the ship was repaired and the mess cleaned up. Then he spent his time pacing around. He didn't want to eat or drink anything because he was afraid some soporific would be slipped in. The thought that Geoffrey could flood the ship with gas escaped him for the moment. He let his rage sustain him as he waited.

When Leonard stepped into the light from the Waverider's door, he looked like shit. None of them had ever seen him that exhausted not even Mick. He'd always kept a calm, cool, unruffled appearance as part of his personna. "I need your help," he spat out as he stalked into the ship. His rage had turned into a cold fire that could be more easily sustained; it was similar to the hatred he'd maintained against Lewis Snart. He realized that the entire team was waiting for him in the bay and felt rather than saw Mick move to stand at his back.

"Professor Stein and I know about the chip." Rip was blunt and to the point. He and Stein had already set up the med bay in case surgery was the correct option. Rip had warned Mick only that they would be giving Mr. Snart some bad news that he would react to violently if they were any judge. The pyro stepped behind his partner to intervene if necessary.

Leonard stopped as a flood of adrenaline coursed through his body. His eyes narrowed and his rage turned against them. Had he been betrayed by those he believed he could trust? Backing towards the door, he started to draw his gun but Mick pinned his arms against his body. He'd debated putting his partner in a choke hold but realized that Snart would take that as an attack. He'd just keep him from hurting anyone or himself.

Leonard struggled, "Let me go! You bastards! How..." His words became incoherent as imprecations and threats poured out while he thrashed around trying to free himself. While strong, he was no match for Mick's strength and size. Leonard barely heard the others asking questions of Rip and Stein about the chip and who had done it and what did it mean for Leonard.

Sara's voice rose above the others'. "What do you mean _chip_? What did they do to him? Why didn't you do something when Leonard asked for help the first time?" She clenched her fists in impotent anger. She knew, they all knew, how Leonard felt about free will. He'd killed himself to ensure he would not be controlled again.

"Would everybody please be quiet?" Rip shouted.

"Calm down Snart. Use your brain not your emotions." Mick spoke in his partner's ear. It was an odd reversal of behavior for the two.

Leonard could see that the others were not moving to attack him. Sara's anguished expression helped him realize that this was not the ambush he thought it was although the perceived betrayal still rankled.

Rip stepped forward to get Mr. Snart's attention. "We learned about the chip only after you and Geoffrey left us."

His words penetrated Leonard's rage and he stopped struggling. "How? Let go, Mick. I'm not going to shoot anyone...here." Implied was the threat against the Elders.

"Gideon realized that Geoffrey had sent a command but was unable to identify what the command was or did. I was able to access her files and delete that command from outside the system. Once I did that, we learned what is was that she had been ordered to conceal."

Mick stepped back from his partner. The thief was still furious but he was no longer trying to kill anyone. Mick saw Sara step forward and held out his hand to stop her. He shook his head. Although Snart was calmer, he was still on edge. Mick didn't want her to get brushed off. His ego could handle his partner's moods; he wasn't sure that their budding relationship could weather this storm right now.

"Who else knew?" Leonard demanded. He glared at the team surrounding him.

"Only Captain Hunter and myself," said Stein. He was grateful that their decision had kept Mr. Rory and Ms. Lance innocent about the omission.

"So why didn't you tell me instead of sending chess moves." Bitterness filled his voice.

"Think, Mr. Snart. If you received a message about the chip, what would you have done? What could you have done without Geoffrey's help? You needed the Iceberg to find us or Geoffrey's help to bring us to you. Since he'd concealed the chip's existence from all of us, he would not allow such a message even to go through. He would have prevented you from seeing us."

Leonard finally understood how trapped he was by his decision to serve on the Elders' time corps. Sara wanted to weep at the shock she saw in his eyes.

"We have spent the intervening time devising a way to remove the chip without harm to you." Stein had observed how Mr. Snart transitioned from rage to despair in such a short amount of time. The old Snart would have held on to his anger by tooth and nail. Now, he had learned to allow himself to feel. Emotions were a two-sided coin.

"So it can be removed?" Leonard could still feel his body shaking with an adrenaline overload. Added to his exhaustion, he was about ready to drop.

"We believe so. Let's go to..."

"Captain Hunter?" Gideon interrupted Rip. "Geoffrey wants to give a detailed explanation."

"It had better be good," Ray was beginning to realize how high-handed the Elders were with a person's life. He was suddenly glad that he'd not ended up in their clutches.

"Let's go to my office shall we?" Rip led the others with Mick following last. He wanted to make sure that Snart would not go off again. Snart always cooled down quickly from a rage but occasionally, he held on to the burn. His hatred against his father proved how long he held a grudge. The bomb in Lisa's head had been the trigger. And now he had something in his own head.

Once in Rip's office, Leonard refused to sit. He watched the others settle down before Rip told Gideon to open a channel. Sara chose to stand beside him. She didn't touch Leonard but tried to let him know that she was there in whatever capacity he needed.

"As you know, the chip was placed in the cerebellum of Captain Cold's brain. What you do not know is that it was to allow me to insert the knowledge of the ship."

"How did Snart find out about it?" Jax was curious.

"I'm standing right here." Leonard snarled. He felt like an exhibit in a museum. Only Mick and Sara seemed to accept him as the same man that they knew.

"We were in London during the Blitz and took heavy fire. The ship was damaged and Captain Cold began repairing the damaged engine."

"And he'd never learned how to do that." Ray had worked on the Waverer's different systems and knew how complex they were. Snart had never attempted any repairs beyond those that could be easily directed by Gideon.

"That is correct."

"Why the hell would these Elders think it was okay to send a time agent out on a ship without any training about his ship?" Rip was aghast.

Stein was confused. "Why didn't they just take the time to teach him?"

"Because, Professor, it takes years to learn how to run and repair a ship like this." Rip now understood why they'd chosen the route that they had. "They should have told Mr. Snart, however."

"That was what the chip was for. Every night while he is asleep, I've been implanting information about this ship into his long term memory."

Leonard had an epiphany. "Is that what's been causing the headaches?"

"Yes."

Turning to Rip, Leonard said, "Take it out now!"

"Captain Cold. You do not have enough knowledge to repair the ship should something go wrong." The Elders believed they'd have enough time before he learned the truth; they were wrong.

"I am smart. I can fucking learn."

"I understand. That is why I've only been inserting information about the environmental units, engines, time drive, and my operating system. Everything else can be learned at a more leisurely pace. Captain Hunter. I can show Gideon how to access what has been implanted via the chip. You can ascertain that nothing of a dangerous or controlling nature was placed in Captain Cold's memories."

"That's a start. What do we need?"

"If you would go to the med bay, Gideon will show you what leads can be used to read the chip."

As much as Ray was curious, he realized how angry his presence would make Snart and kept Jax from following too. Bracketed by Rip and Stein, Leonard lay down on the med couch where he'd been only a few weeks ago. At Gideon's direction, a web of leads was placed around Leonard's head and soon data started scrolling across a screen faster than any eye could read. When the data stopped, Gideon spoke.

"Captain. I have downloaded the chip's information and the only information stored on it is on the Iceberg's environmental system and some of the engines."

Geoffrey had been monitoring with the permission of Rip and Gideon. "As you can see, the information is incomplete. If the ship was damaged in flight, Captain Cold would be trapped in the time stream permanently."

"So we don't go anywhere until I learn."

"Yes, speaking of which, why didn't the Elders just keep Mr. Snart wherever they were until he was trained?"

"Because they knew he had no patience. And their home is not amenable to mere mortals. The other agents went out with a chip too."

"What did they say about it?" Sara was curious.

"The other agents have not realized what was done to them."

"So they still have a chip inside?" Leonard was horrified.

"Yes. Their ships are able to give them needed updates. The captains have not realized how they have learned all that they need to."

"And how is that possible that they did not realize how much time they were losing? And why is Mr. Snart the only one to realize that he'd been given knowledge with no foundation of study?" Stein was curious.

"The Captain's stubbornness is equal to his intelligence. However, the other AI's have flooded their ships with gas so their captains sleep much longer each night. With Captain Cold being in constant contact with you on the Waverider, he would deduce that he was missing large chunks of time and wonder why. We would then be in the same situation as we are now. I'm hoping that with your presence, Mr. Snart will finally be able to see reason."

Leonard wasn't sure if he was being insulted or not. "So what is your proposed solution?" he spat out.

"I can insert the knowledge that you must have more quickly than I have been. It would take approximately 52 hours. Gideon could monitor all information to ensure that it is only what is vital to your well-being in regards to the function of the Iceberg.

"I spent years in the Vanishing Point being taught not only about their weapons but about their technology." Mick hated to bring up that time but Snart had to see that he needed that knowledge however he got it.

"Mr. Snart said he had headaches. Is there any risk with a long data implant?" Stein had ignored the data stream in favor of the diagnostic information. He asked Gideon to enlarge the hippocampus looking for any possible damage or micro bleeds.

"There is a risk. We cannot be sure that a human brain can withstand that much detailed data in such a short space of time."

"I am not an operating system!" Leonard ripped off the leads and jumped to the floor. "This is coming out now!"

"Please. Allow me to give you the procedural memories you must have."

Rip had never heard an AI sound almost...pleading. "Mr. Snart. As both Mr. Rory and I know, one cannot fly a timeship without knowing certain key bits of information. For your safety, I think you need to allow Geoffrey to add to your memories. Wait!" he said forestalling the protest he knew was coming. "We will put certain safeguards in place. I will insist that Gideon monitor every bit of information that you are given to ensure that it is only what is vital. It is really unsafe for you to travel through time without understanding your ship."

Sara looked back and forth between Leonard and Rip. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Leonard's forearm. "We won't let anything happen to you. I promise." She felt him relax slightly under her touch.

Leonard was a smart man. He knew he didn't know enough about the ship to fix it. It was just the high-handed way that the Elders had manipulated him again. Turning to Rip, "Gideon will make sure..."

"Mr. Snart. I can set up a link for Geoffrey to send the data through me. You can stay here on this ship in your old room." Gideon gave the only assurance that she thought he would care to hear.

Realizing that he was trapped between two evils, Leonard acquiesced with ill grace. "Fine. But you better have a lot of aspirin."

Gideon informed Sara once Leonard had fallen asleep. She had promised Leonard that she'd check in on him at various points during the memory implantation. He was being sedated to help with the procedure.

"You know," he said. "That's either really creepy or really sexy. I'm not sure which."

She left him at the door to his room and went to her own.

"Gideon. Can I speak to Geoffrey?"

"Certainly Ms. Lance. A moment."

"Good evening Ms. Lance. What can I help you with?"

"Leonard told us that there are several universes?" She made it into a question.

"Yes. There are numerous parallel universes."

When Sara had first learned about the different universes, she was consumed with curiosity. "So there is one where Leonard didn't get 'chosen' by the Elders and stayed dead?"

"Yes. There is also a universe where his father killed Lisa when she was a child. Captain Cold was convicted of his father's murder while a teen and never met Mr. Rory. There is also a universe where the particle accelerator never exploded so he stayed a thief but his Cold Gun was never built. In another, he is mayor of Central City. People's paths are defined by their choices. This Leonard Snart became a better person through friendships with this team. There are other versions who would be your foe if you ever met them."

Sobered by the thought of facing Leonard on the other side of a gun in a real fight, she was grateful that her Leonard was the man that she had chosen to know. There was a question that had been floating through her mind for some time. She dithered for a moment unsure if she wanted the answer. "Is my sister still alive in one of those universes?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance, she is alive in several of them."

A shuddering sigh ripped through Sara's body. The pain of Laurel's loss still rose up and overwhelmed her at times. Now, the knowledge that a Laurel still lived helped ease the knot inside. "Thank you Geoffrey." She didn't want to know what kind of person those other versions were. It was scary enough that there were evil versions of Leonard out in other universes.

"I am glad I could assist you. I hope that with your help, the Captain will recover some trust in me."

"I wouldn't bet on it. He can hold a grudge and what he's got against you is pretty large."

Sara had settled into Leonard's room as she'd promised. She'd brought the book The Art of War with her to read. She dimmed the lights until there was only a small light above the desk, made herself comfortable, and started to read. The hours passed.

Gideon warned her that Leonard would be allowed to wake soon. Sara watched as Leonard stirred and waited until he sat up before handing him water and aspirin.

"Is it done?"

"No. Implanting it in one session would be too much. Professor Stein was afraid that that much data delivered so quickly might damage your brain. So they decided that chunks of 10 hours would be best." She smiled. "That gives us time together when you're awake." She held up a deck of cards.

Now that the aspirin had started to work, Leonard lifted his head. He was grateful for her understanding. He had promised that the next time they saw each other they would talk about whether she wanted to have a long distance relationship with him. He sensed that she'd put the conversation on hold for his sake. It endeared her to him more than she knew.

"Food would be better first." He realized he'd be awake only for a short time before having to go under again. The sooner everything was implanted, the sooner the chip would be removed.

Three more days found Leonard back in the med bay with Rip, Stein, and Sara. Mick had bowed out since the whole procedure made him very uncomfortable. Ray and Jax absented themselves as well. Ray knew that Stein would bring him up to speed once Snart was gone.

"The best way to access the chip in the cerebellum is through the base of your skull. You're going to have to lie face down on the chair. And...we're going to have to secure your head so you don't move."

Leonard resisted backing up barely. He wanted...no needed...this chip out of his skull. If this was the only way then he'd do it.

Stein spoke up. "You will also have to be awake. While both Gideon and Geoffrey will be assisting, we need to ensure that we're not damaging anything during surgery." He was torn. This surgery would be fascinating for him to perform but the reason it was necessary was abhorrent to him.

His voice was gruff. "Then let's get started." Leonard lay down on the chair and waited as his friends placed a strap across his shoulders and then his head. He clenched his hands under the bed so tightly that his fingernails cut into the palms.

Rip placed a cuff around their patient's bicep so that they could monitor Mr. Snart during the procedure and administer any medication if he went into distress. "You'll feel a pinch on the back of your neck." He jabbed a needle into the base of Leonard's skull and injected a local anesthesia. The two men had practiced the procedure under Geoffrey's coaching. They hoped it would go as smoothly when it was for real.

Sara dropped to the floor and slid under the med bed. "Hi." She said softly looking up at him. "They want you to talk throughout the procedure to make sure no memories are disrupted or other problems with vision or speech or..." She stopped. The _what ifs_ had filled her thoughts but Leonard had said the risk was worth anything.

"Talk about what?" Leonard was at a loss. He'd rarely been sick and the only surgery had been when he'd dug a bullet out of his own arm.

"Tell me something new. Something you've never told me."

"Sara. Remember we're working with the part of the brain dealing with procedure. We need to know that he remembers how to do..."

"I got this. Leonard. Tell me something about Lisa." Sara wanted him to relax. They could hear the sound of a drill and the smell of singed bone as they drilled into his skull.

Trying to ignore what was being done to him, Leonard thought back to a time when Lisa was five. "She had a favorite book. One Monster After Another. She insisted that I read it to her every night."

"You raised her didn't you? So tell me the story in that book." Sara wiggled on the floor as she tried to get comfortable making Leonard smile remembering how Lisa would snuggle up next to him clutching her Sasha doll tightly.

"Procedures please." Stein was intrigued by Mr. Snart's connection to his sister but he needed different memories.

"Fine." Sara vowed to learn more about this book on her own. "Tell me how to open a Glenn Rieder safe."

Leonard took time to give her all the minutia needed to open that safe undetected. He continued by describing how to disable a Steranko Security System and was starting with another when he literally could not picture what he was describing.

"Martin? Whatever you're doing back off." Sara spoke calmly yet quickly.

Above Leonard, Stein stopped advancing the probe and withdrew it a little. "Gideon?"

"You deviated from the path by 3 millimeters. Please refer to the image on the monitor."

Stein looked up to see the position of the probe in relation to the projected path. "I see. Ms. Lance?"

Hearing the question in Stein's voice, she asked, "Tell me about how you strip down the Cold Gun."

Leonard blinked and then started to describe all the pieces as they lay on the table waiting to be put back into his gun. He told her about the Central City Museum and all the exhibits that he'd coveted over the years as well as his plans to steal the Kahndaq Diamond.

"That was when you got the Cold Gun right?" At his affirmative, she asked, "So what did you do with the diamond?"

"I sold it to a buyer overseas. I paid a lot of debts for me, Mick, and Lisa."

"Almost finished Mr. Snart." Rip held up a tiny microchip. This was the cause of so much trouble. "Gideon. Does this work outside a human host?"

Geoffrey spoke up. "No, Mr. Hunter it does not."

Taken aback at being addressed as mister by an AI, Rip placed the chip gently into a waiting petri dish. Whether it worked or not, he knew both Professor Stein and Dr. Palmer would be itching to examine it. He turned around to watch the professor close the wound in Mr. Snart's skull and place the flap of skin back over it. A ray of light from above was Gideon activating the regeneration beam to ensure that Mr. Snart would heal immediately. The beam would penetrate his skull and seal off any small bleeders that might have started during the surgery.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Stein addressed Geoffrey.

"Captain Cold also has a tracker embedded between his shoulder blades. It cannot be scanned when it's inactive so it doesn't show up."

It was a good thing that Leonard was strapped down. Fury filled him again and he began to curse the Elders and everything associated with them. He stopped when he felt Sara's hand touch his cheek.

"Why is it there specifically Geoffrey?" she asked.

"All of the agents have them. Captain Cold is the only one who is not aware of this tracker."

"And why is that?" asked Stein.

"Because Captain Cold is the only one who arrived at their citadel dead. All of the others were alive and thus aware of being implanted with the tracker."

"Why is this tracker so necessary?"

"All of the agents work alone. We, their ships, need to be able to track them and if something goes wrong, effect a rescue."

"That actually makes sense." Rip stated. "I have a suggestion, Mr Snart. How about we remove it from where it is and place it somewhere such as your forearm. That way you can choose to remove it if you deem it necessary. But having it means we can come to your aid if you fall into dire straits."

Taking a deep breath, Leonard said, "Let me up." Once released, he sat upright and said, "Show me this tracker."

They all looked at the screen and saw a light flare to life. "As I said, Captain, it is passive unless activated."

Weighing all the facts, Leonard once again chose the lesser of two evils. "Put it in my left forearm." He stripped off his jacket and pulled off his shirt. He waited while Rip deadened the area and carefully excised it. Leonard pointed to a spot with a mole. "Put it under there." His lips tightened as he allowed himself to be tagged like an animal.

Stein stepped back. "I would suggest that you get another night's sleep before going back to your own ship." He wondered if this would allow the two lovers to actually have some time before Mr. Snart left them. He was unaware that things were still not settled between them.

Rip left the med bay and practically tripped over Mr. Rory sitting against the corridor's wall.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"It seems that we were successful in removing the chip. We suggested an evening of rest and we'll complete another scan to make sure he's fine tomorrow."

Mick grunted. If he ever ran into an Elder, that person was going to take a beating much worse than the one he'd given Snart. Using the doorframe, he pulled himself upright. He turned and walked beside his parter as he exited. "Haircut brought pizza. It's on Rip's desk."

"Hey now," Rip protested. "We have a galley."

"Yeah. And we don't all fit there. I'll meet you there; I've got beer chilling in the fridge. Just waiting for you all to be done."

"Pizza? Beer? Where are we or when?" Leonard had to admit he'd lost track of time. His stomach was growling.

"Come on," Sara grabbed his arm and tugged. "I hate cold pizza."

Soon the whole team was seated around the table with pizza slices dripping with hot cheese on paper plates.

"So now what?" asked Ray.

" I have no idea what the plan is. This was not a planned stop. I was supposed to complete two more missions before we'd sync up." Leonard understood that the timetable had shifted. Now, it might be a while longer before he saw them again.

"Gideon and I calculate it will be about sixteen days before we will be in sync once again. Captain Cold. You will have to spend all your free time doing as you promised and learn the information I was unable to place in your memories."

"Yeah, well, I guess chess is going to have to wait Professor."

"Not a problem. We have a lot of time ahead of us."

They all pitched in to clean up. "You go on," Mick told Leonard. "Talk." He nodded at Sara.

Leonard tried to glare. Since when had Mick ever concerned himself with Leonard's personal life. They'd had an unspoken agreement that neither would comment nor interfere with choices made by the other. He tried to sneak out while she was busy stuffing trash into a plastic bag but Ray stopped him.

"Leonard? I've been wanting to ask since...well, since you came back. If Mick hadn't knocked me out. If it had been me still at the Oculus, would you have taken my place?"

"No." Leonard was blunt.

"I thought not. Self-preservation was most important to you." He took a deep breath. "So why did you take Mick's place?"

"I owed him. I abandoned him, left him to the Time Masters." He looked down at his hands not surprised to see that they were clenched. "I know what it's like having your freedom taken away."

"Now. But back then?"

"I just had to. Mick's my only friend."

"You can't say that, man. Not now." Jax had come in behind the thief. "You're a part of this team whether you are here on the Waverider or your Iceberg. We got your back."

Leonard felt he was getting sloppy. He should have known that Jax was behind him. Was this something else done to him? Or was Jax right? That these were _friends_ and he felt he could trust them. He didn't even jump when Sara's hand grasped his.

"Time to talk." She tugged him down the corridor.

Once they were in his room, she took one of the two chairs. She'd made sure that his room had them while he'd been asleep. "You told me to think about it and I have. I know what I want. You and me. Wait," she said stopping him from interrupting. "You'll get your turn. I know me and I am not made for happily ever after and I don't think you are either. I want whatever we can have now. Whether it's one night or a thousand, I don't want any regrets. I had that after you died. When I stomped out after you admitted you were interested in me, I almost went back. I thought we'd have time later. It killed me when we didn't. This life we've chosen is dangerous. We've both died now and been resurrected. I've had two serious lovers-Oliver and Nyssa. I still love them both and cherish what they gave me." She leaned forward and grasped one of Leonard's hands. "I want you. Not tonight because of what you've been through but I promise you, sometime in the near future you need to be ready for a night of really good sex. Hopefully, many nights." There. She said what she wanted to say.

Leonard smiled a real smile. He turned his hand so that he could grasp hers and tugged her over so she sat sideways on his lap. He touched her cheek and bent down to give her a very long kiss. When they separated, he said, "I can't wait."

 **TBC**

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 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it and this story. Thank you for reading and thank you_ thecrooktomyassassin _for your kind review. I hope you like this chapter too._


	3. Chapter 3

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter Three**

 _Warning for strong language and some R situations. Nothing is explicit. I am using Wentworth Miller's description about who Leonard Snart would be physically attracted to._

* * *

Mick set down his bottle of beer on the metal case to his right, picked up a small welding torch, and ignited it. Once he was satisfied with the flame's color, he began to brush it over the welds he was adding to a steel box.

"So what exactly are you working on?" The drawled question didn't come from anyone in the room. The screen in the corner showed Leonard draped across his couch on the Iceberg with a tablet lying on his chest and feet propped up on the couch's armrest.

"Rip asked me to make sure this box will hold up to a great deal of force. Apparently he plans to put something valuable or explosive inside. He hasn't told me which." He turned off the torch, lifted his goggles, and grabbed the bottle for another swig. He turned to face the screen. "What have you got going on?"

"Homework. As usual." Leonard was shaking his head. He was tired of it all but knew he had to learn about the Iceberg's myriad systems and fast. "Geoffrey says he will have the next job ready for me by tonight."

"Tonight? What time is it?"

Leonard leaned up so that he could see the digital clock on the bookcase. "It's still morning here. You?"

"I'm about done in. It's after midnight; I think everyone else is asleep."

"And apparently that's what makes it difficult for the ships to sync up. Hey, you going to tell me what happened?" Leonard had been staring at his partner while he welded. From the moment their signal connected, he knew there was something different about Mick. He had finally figured it out.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Your nose. It's not broken any more."

"Oh that. Well, we were in the 1970's and ended up in a riot. Scaffolding was pushed around and a bar fell on my head. I had a huge cut too. Freaked out Haircut. He swore my skull was cracked open. Stein and Gideon fixed me up."

"They do that a lot don't they." After discovering the presence of the chip, Leonard had new nightmares added to his collection. He had told that time bastard _"There are no strings on me"_ right before the Oculus blew. His most recent nightmare had the chip controlling everything that he did. He knew what was happening but could do nothing to stop himself as the Elders pulled the strings to make him act and react.

Mick saw one section that needed more solder. Reigniting his torch, he played the flame over the box until he was satisfied. He slugged down the rest of the beer as the joins cooled. Talking to Snart like this was both good and bad. They had some semblance of normality but every time he looked over his shoulder expecting to see his partner, all he saw was Snart on the screen instead. He didn't have the heart to ask Snart if he felt the same way. Rip had stressed how important it was to keep Snart a part of the team with their interactions. Mick knew Sara and Snart talked a lot but he had been surprised when he learned how often Stein had interacted with Snart. This was the same Stein who only had scorn for the two thieves when they first began their journey. It surprised him how how much they'd all changed. All this thinking was giving him a headache though. Mick was exhausted but he didn't want to shut off the connection.

With the perspicacity that he was known for, Leonard spoke first. "It's late for you and I have to get through this next section before taking a break. I'll talk to you sometime. Watch out for everyone will ya?" Leonard didn't tell Mick to take care of himself. It would only irritate the man. After breaking loose from the time bastards' control, Mick had become a member of the team and it seemed, actually cared about them a little. Of course, if Leonard had asked, he'd have been brushed off. He remembered that yesterday Stein had finally told him the story of how the team had defeated Savage in three different times. He'd said that Mick had labeled Snart as his friend when trying to keep Rip from killing himself to save the world. He looked over at the screen and saw that the storage room on the Waverider was now empty; Gideon closed the link leaving Leonard alone.

He lifted the tablet off his chest and started reading. He'd prove to the AI that he could learn the normal way too. Soon he was wrapped up in the diagrams and instructions as he tested himself to see if he understood the food processing equipment. He lost track of time until Geoffrey suggested that he actually find something to eat. Getting up was hard. Looking at the clock, he saw that he'd been lying there for hours. He twisted around to loosen up his back and ambled down to the galley. A quick bite and he headed back to his office. He believed that the sooner he finished learning a certain amount of material; Geoffrey would _discover_ that the ships were in sync.

He was wrong. Having been informed of Leonard's discovery of the chip, the Elders had not changed their commands to their AI. Geoffrey was to guide his captain through a few more missions before attempting the big one. The toll it would take on Leonard meant that they needed him balanced and for that, they needed his friends. If he learned the complete truth that Geoffrey was ordered to suppress, it might very well destroy Leonard. The Elders hoped he would survive and come out of it stronger but there were no guarantees. They had lost two more agents from their corps and had no idea what had happened to them. They believed that Leonard Snart could become their best agent. If. If he continued to help guide history even when it was bad. And it was going to become very bad.

"Sir. I have your next assignment." Geoffrey waited until Leonard came up to the screen before flashing an image on it.

"Now you're just fucking with me." He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Why the hell is **_this_** so important?"

'While the event itself is not world shaking, the people connected to it on the periphery are of vital importance to history."

Shaking his head, Leonard muttered under his breath, "This is fucking crazy. Why the hell..." He stopped since he knew the Ai would never answer him. "Fine. What do I do?"

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard settled down in the airplane's seat near the rear. He looked down at his hands; they appeared to be several shades darker. Without looking in a mirror, he knew the rest of his exposed skin was the same shade, and his eyes and hair, which now appeared to have grown out an inch, were brown. Geoffrey had given him image inducer so he did not have to go to extremes to make himself look the part. It projected an appearance over him. It wouldn't work with video or camera but it worked for the face to face. Takeoff pushed him back against his seat and he stared out the window as the plane climbed into the late November afternoon sky. It wasn't raining for the moment.

His thoughts went back to that morning when he'd ambushed his target at his house in Portland, Oregon. When The Pilgrim had kidnapped their loved ones, Rip had given them pills so they'd forget recent events. Well, Geoffrey had something that went a step further. It helped a person be more easily persuaded too. He'd given his target the injection and had calmly ordered him to forget his plans all together. The target was placidly sitting in a chair while Leonard took his coat and briefcase. Once he bought his plane ticket, Leonard boarded with the rest. This guy's plan was so simple. Of course, in Leonard's time, such a plan would never have worked.

Once Leonard was sitting on the plane, he began following Geoffrey's directions. He was supposed to be a chain smoker; fortunately, Geoffrey fabricated cigarettes that contained no tobacco or dangerous chemicals. Leonard lit up the first of many fake Raleigh cigarettes and ordered a drink from the stewardess. He thanked her when she brought it, paid for the drink, and took a sip. He called the stewardess back and handed her a note. Showtime. Except she ignored it thinking he was hitting on her.

Leonard leaned towards her and suggested that she examine what he wrote. He could tell that she was just humoring him at first. Then she read his words and looked up at him with shock.

"Miss, why don't you have a seat." Leonard indicated the seat next to him. Afraid she sat wondering what he had in mind. Resigned to this mission, he opened his briefcase to show her the proof. Her hands started to shake.

"I need you to go tell the captain my demands."

Nodding, she stood up and headed towards the cockpit. It was rather ironic, Leonard thought, he had never blinked an eye at threatening people before. If he wanted something, he would do whatever it took to get it. But that was the old Leonard. Now, he was supposed to be the good guy. Yeah, right. He'd never wear a white hat. The terror on her face showed that he was not that good of a guy right now. He still didn't understand why he needed to ensure that this event went off without a hitch. He watched her walk away, pulled out his sunglasses, and put them on. They were not typical sunglasses. From his perspective, he could see as clearly as if he wasn't wearing them inside a plane. When he touched the left temple, a heads-up display appeared showing him altitude and a countdown timer.

For the next several hours, Leonard worked hard to charm the stewardesses. History told him no one would be hurt and that his demands would be met. Along with his fellow passengers, he heard the captain announce that the plane was having a small mechanical problem and would be delayed landing in Seattle. It circled for several hours. Leonard spent his time looking out the plane's window or talking to another stewardess. He wanted to make sure she didn't panic or let the passengers know what was going on. He ordered another drink.

"That looks like Tacoma down there," he said in response to a question from Geoffrey. He switched functions with his glasses and the radar confirmed his statement. Geoffrey was cloaked and on the ground near Mt. St. Helens. The AI was ready to take off to help finish this job.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

"Nothing. Oh, I need my note back." Leonard held out his hand and tilted his head. The image inducer replicated his facial expressions so while the smirk wasn't his she still saw one. Reaching into her pocket, she took out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it back. She disappointed as she watched TV and had hoped that they could get his fingerprints off it. She knew he'd escape somehow.

Wadding the note up, Leonard placed it in his inside coat pocket. He thought through all the elements of this heist checking off each step. They were almost done.

The stewardess came back and told Leonard that his demands had been met and he said that they could now land the plane. He went to the cockpit to talk with the pilot about the route the plane would have to take once back in the air. He kept looking out at the tarmac and the tanker truck. They seemed to be taking an awfully long time. When questioned, the pilot learned that there was some problem with the hoses but Geoffrey assured him that the story about vapor lock was legitimate. Once the plane was refueled and his money and supplies were delivered, Leonard allowed all 36 passengers to leave. He kept the flight crew and one stewardess on board the plane.

Leonard found it ironic that he was committing one of the biggest heists of his career in a time before he was even born. It wasn't that the take was tremendous; it was the notoriety of the theft. He smiled but it faded. He had planned nothing for this heist and to him that was the joy. Geoffrey had literally handed him everything. He shrugged his shoulders fatalistically. Almost done. The plane took to the air again and he stood up in the aisle. Digging through the bags, he cut some cords to tie the moneybag around his waist. The plane reached a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet, which would give Geoffrey plenty of room to catch him. He hoped. He took off his tie and threw it on the seat; no need to be blinded by a piece of cheap fabric. He sent Tina to the cockpit and began working quickly as she walked away and up the aisle. Leonard dug through the bag until he found the specific bundle of cash that he needed. He put it in his outside pocket for easy access. Now it was time to see if he'd learned what he'd needed to for him to survive.

"Geoffrey. Ready to go."

"On my way."

Pulling apart the last bundle, Leonard stepped into the harness and buckled everything on. He placed a normal pair of glasses on the chair in the other row and used his special glasses to scan his body by placing them on a seat's headrest. "This look right?" He slowly turned in place.

"Everything seems to be in order, sir. I am below your position now."

Night had fallen; that was good. Leonard put his glasses back on. Heading towards the rear of the plane, he activated the controls that dropped the door. A squawk over the intercom asked if everything was all right. "It's fine. Keep going," he demanded. Now that the civilians weren't near him, he could let the bite return to his voice. He shook himself all over and stepped down the stairs and switched his glasses over to night vision.

"Here goes nothing," Leonard said as he jumped out of the plane into the dark, cloudy night. He counted to five and pulled the ripcord. A mighty jerk yanked him upwards before letting him drift down again. Rain was pouring down but he could see clearly the heat signature of the Iceberg.

"Captain Cold. If you continue your current path, we will intersect in 45 seconds. Don't forget to drop the money. And get out your knife."

"Right." Leonard was embarrassed that he had forgotten. Parachuting was a new experience for him and he was still trying to adjust to the myriad sensations. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bundle of cash. "Banzai," he said as he tossed it away. The speed at which it plummeted sobered him up. Reaching deeper into his pocket, he pulled out the vibroknife. He looked up to see the Boeing 727 flying off into the distance. A roar told him that Geoffrey had arrived and he looked down in time to prepare for impact.

He struck hard and rolled to the side. He activated the knife and it sliced through all the parachute chords as soon as it touched them. He lay spread eagle on the hull of his ship and watched the fabric sail away without him. A small hatch popped open and he crawled towards it and went headfirst in a summersault while holding on to the inner rail. The drop to the deck wasn't too far; once on his feet, he headed towards the bridge. He grabbed a different knife from his desk to cut the cords holding the bag of money against his body. That vibroknife could do some serious damage if it even nicked him.

The next thing on his agenda was to remove the film on his fingers. Geoffrey had devised a covering for Leonard's fingertips that had false whirls and arches. Since the FBI would be involved and would search for all evidence, there was a chance that Leonard's own fingerprints could end up in a database years before they should be entered. He sighed with regret. What jobs he could have pulled with all this technology.

"So are you ever going to explain why this was so important to history?"

"The FBI was pulled in to investigate the hijacking. Many agents were pulled off other case and others shifted around to cover gaps. One of those men shifted was a friend of James McCord. It was he who recommended Alfred C. Baldwin III to him."

Still clueless, Leonard waited. When Geoffrey was silent, he prodded the AI.

"Alfred C. Baldwin III was instrumental in the Watergate wiretappings. McCord was the former CIA who set up the original listening post in the hotel."

Leonard was stunned at the implications. The realization that the Elders were working to influence so many events made him wonder if anything that happened to anyone did so by mere chance. He understood the importance of Watergate on his home country. He just hadn't realized how many little events connected to cause it. "But why have me step in at all?"

"The Elders feared that the original thief would be caught or killed and if so, there would be no reassignment of key personnel."

"So what now? Do we go to Washington?"

"No. That is progressing, as it ought to. I suggest sir that you eat something and get some rest. You need to learn about the ship's weaponry tomorrow."

It irked Leonard that an AI was dismissing him but he was tired and hungry so he did what Geoffrey recommended. Sleep was a long time coming. He could not stop wondering what other kinds of missions the Elders would send him on. This was so different from his time with Rip. Then, they had been hunting a single person. Now, he was trying to be the history police. He rolled over and thumped his pillow. Police. Gah. How could he even think of himself as that? His father had been a crooked cop. There was no way he'd even follow in Lewis' footsteps. He was one hell of a thief. And now a cop. But it wasn't anything like his father. He flipped over in bed. He wished he could talk to Stein. The professor had an interesting way of looking at things of this nature. Leonard was just wondering when the Elders'd cut him loose. Exile him away from everyone. How many mistakes would they allow him? Well, his track record before Rip was pretty good. It was hours before he finally fell asleep.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard held out the poster that Geoffrey had reproduced at arm's length. "You know, this doesn't look like me at all." He'd kept one wall clear in the office thinking he'd find a painting or two to hang at some point. Until then, his wanted poster as D.B. Cooper would have to do. He placed a stack of bills on a bookcase shelf and dumped the rest into the recycler. For history to be accurate, this money had to disappear. The only bills ever found were the ones he'd dropped as he jumped.

"This was a very successful job sir."

"What do you mean? It was just impersonating someone."

"Yes, but this was your first time jumping out of an airplane was it not?" At Leonard's affirmative, the AI continued, "You impersonated the thief and kept the myth intact."

"Yeah, about that. What happened to the guy I drugged?"

"He forgot his plans entirely. We need to set the ship down so you can examine the launch tubes to better understand the weaponry. You cannot do that while the ship is in the air."

Once the Iceberg was on the ground, Geoffrey directed Leonard all over the outside of the ship.

"How much munitions do we actually carry?" Leonard was curious. He didn't think this was a fighting ship.

"We carry ten missiles. Most of our weaponry consists of energy beams. However, those arrays need to be kept in working order as well. We will have to review the solar arrays next since they power many parts of the ship."

Hours later, Leonard reentered his ship. His clothes had marks of char and grease on them from the exterior of the Iceberg. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower. Although entirely alone, he refused to be a slob. He was a fastidious man and placed the filthy clothes in the recycler. Mick had been the slob at the warehouse.

Clean once more, he was heading towards the bridge when his musings were interrupted.

"Sir?"

Leonard looked up. "What is it?"

"We have a guest."

Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Who?"

"Ms. Lance. Both current missions have ended, and we have several days with no assignments."

Sara was leaning against his desk when he arrived at his office. A bag was on the floor at her feet.

He nodded to it, "You moving in?"

Smiling, Sara sauntered up to him. "Nope. But I brought a few things."

Suspicious, he had to ask. "What kind of things?"

"Have you ever had fun during sex?"

He was confused. "Fun?" Sex had always been a release but _fun_?

"Yeah, goofing around silly fun." Sara had realized that she'd never heard Leonard laugh the entire time she'd known him. Snicker yes. Sneer definitely. But laugh? Never. She decided that she was going to do something about that. With a bit of introspection, she had come to the realization that she was drawn to the brooding type but that didn't mean she couldn't lighten the load at times.

"Um. No." He was trying to figure out where she was going with this. And he was trying to figure out what he'd gotten himself into.

Sara switched gears. "One thing I've been wondering."

"What's that?" His mind was still on fun and what she might mean.

"Why me? Was it only the fact that the only other woman in our team was dating Ray?"

Focusing on the here and now, Leonard responded. "Gender doesn't matter to me." He knew that Sara felt the same way.

"Then what?"

"I'm drawn to a person's soul if you will. The person they are when no one is watching. Their brains. Being a badass. You are that and so much more." He paused and crossed both arms. "Turnabout is fair play. Why me?"

Sara had spent many nights wondering the same thing before she finally understood her decision. "You accept me. All of me. The killer and the woman. You are a thinker and never do anything on impulse unlike me. I think we balance each other." Slowly, she approached Leonard and wrapped her arms around his waist. Looking up at him, she grinned. "I warned you to get some sleep before we saw each other again." She slid her hands up inside his shirt so that she could pull it off.

He'd never really trusted any of his lovers but Sara was different. Having read voraciously, he had a wealth of ideas to draw upon. Leonard was nothing if not quick on the uptake. She wanted fun? He wasn't sure what she'd consider as fun. A bit uncomfortable with the concept, Leonard decided to start slow. He reached down and swept her off her feet. She shrieked and started giggling as they headed towards the bedroom.

Some time later, Sara ended up draped over him with her legs tangled up with his. Propping her chin on his chest, she sighed with satisfaction. He ran his fingers of one hand through her hair while the other played up and down her spine. He was not a man to cuddle and found it very odd that he was so comfortable with her. For her part, Sara reveled in the feeling of his caresses. His hands with their long fingers had fascinated her for some time now.

He watched her eyelids droop and spoke up. "I've had two kinds of lovers. The ones who didn't know about me being a thief didn't last long. They wanted to meet me for lunch or come by the office. They never stayed the night. That didn't work for the obvious reasons. Then there were the ones who did know...well I didn't trust any of them enough to fall asleep in the same bed."

"But I know you're a thief and I've slept next to you."

He tried to stop a smile. "Not the same thing and you know it." He knew she was alluding to when he first returned to the team. "You're drifting off now."

She pushed herself upright. "You want me to leave?"

Grabbing her shoulders with both hands, he pulled her back down and settled her head under his chin. "No." He was surprised at his choice but Sara's nearness was warmth and life and he needed that more than he ever would have believed.

"Good. Because mornings are interesting too." With that promise left hanging in the air, Sara closed her eyes and soon slept.

Leonard slowly woke to the sensation of a drifting hand. He opened his eyes. The grin on Sara's face could only be described as devilish. He could not stop a gasp as she explored further. "Good morning."

Those were the last words spoken by either for some time.

Leonard looked down into Sara's eyes. He waited until his breathing returned to normal and then eased back down beside her on the bed. They were both startled when his stomach rumbled. "I guess we should get something to eat." She slithered to the edge of the bed and stood. Looking back over her shoulder, she flirted. "Interested in a shower?" She walked into the bathroom and was surprised that there was a tub. She wondered why the Waverider didn't have one. An idea came to mind. For now, the shower would suffice. Fiddling with the controls until the water was at a comfortable temperature, she stepped in and was joined. She leaned her head back to wash her hair. Fascinated with her total trust in him, Leonard helped her rinse it. He wondered if this was what she meant by fun.

As if she was reading his mind, Sara spoke up. "I hope you have bubble bath. Next time, we're using that tub."

Later, they sat down at his office table to eat breakfast. Geoffrey had freeze dried eggs so Sara had scrambled some up while Leonard took care of the bacon. A large mug of coffee doctored with sugar and cream to taste rested on the table next to their plates. Both were wrapped in fuzzy robes that Sara had packed in her bag. Hers, a deep ruby, made her skin glow while his was a sapphire blue. She'd chosen the color thinking he'd like it; he did. Once she finished eating, she left her chair with mug in hand and came over to sit down on Leonard's lap. She stared around his office curious about what he felt to be important to him. She noticed the old books but then the D.B. Cooper poster caught her attention. "What's with that?"

He had no choice but to tell her the tale. The two lovers shared stories about their latest exploits for a while. Then the words became interspersed with kisses and caresses and all conversation ceased once again.

Both knew the interlude had to end. The morning of their second day together saw them dressed and eating brunch. Leonard had to admit; he'd never felt so relaxed in another's presence. He was a realist; it wasn't love. But it was something unique for him.

"Coming back to the Waverider?"

"I'll walk with you." Leonard knew if he'd been this close and not come to see Mick, his partner would be hurt and angry. They'd finally found a good balance, and he didn't want to jeopardize it. He went to the galley to get something first.

Neither Sara nor Leonard was into hand holding or other overt signs of closeness so it was as comrades that they entered the Waverider. Sara left him to his own devices knowing he'd be looking for Mick. She ran into Jax in the corridor.

"Uh, you're back?" It was a question rather than a statement.

Looking like the cat that had swallowed the canary, Sara just smiled. "Furlough is over. I'm going to get some sleep." She sauntered off.

Sleep? What had she...he stopped that thought before it went any further. He so did not want to think about what she'd been doing for two days. He remembered his conversation with Rip.

It had been almost a day before the young mechanic had realized that their assassin was missing. Concerned, he went to Rip.

"No. Ms. Lance is fine. It's just that the Iceberg is here too." Rip watched realization dawn on Jax's face and turned to hide a grin. He knew most of the crew was bemused at the relationship between Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance. With a wealth of life experiences behind him, Rip thought he understood the attraction the two had for each other. He was glad that somebody in his crew found a modicum of happiness. As for Rip, he had finally stopped brooding as much. Choosing to live rather than die seemed to have released him from his obsession. While he still had the video record of Miranda and Jonas, he no longer played it every night for hours. He believed that Mr. Snart's choice to die at the Oculus rather than live had given him some perspective as well.

Shaking his head to dispel the images that kept wanting to pop in, Jax went to find Ray. Maybe if he worked on the ship he could scrub his mind of what kept intruding. It was not his business.

In Rip's office, Stein could feel how confused Jefferson was. He put his finger in the book he was reading and debated finding his the young man.

Rip noticed when Professor Stein stopped reading. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. It's just that Jefferson is in a dither."

"Mr. Jackson just ran into Ms. Lance in the corridor." Gideon enlightened them.

The two older men exchanged a look that spoke volumes. "So is Mr. Snart on board as well?" Rip wanted to speak with Mr. Snart to see how he was getting along. He alone understood how the isolation in a time ship weighed on a person.

"Yes, I told him where Mr. Rory was when he asked."

Leonard found Mick in the hold working out with the punching bag. Bracing against the door with one hand, he watched as his partner finished his workout. Picking up a towel, he tossed it. "Ready for a break?" He held up a chilled six-pack. The two friends picked up where they'd left off talking about nothing and everything just as they had always done for most of their lifelong partnership.

The entire team sat down to dinner in Rip's office. Leonard made a mental note to get enough chairs so they could all sit down on the Iceberg. Jax and Mick were arguing the merits of football versus soccer. The rest declined to get involved but were highly entertained as each came up with anecdotes to support their sport's superiority of skill and strength. Stein was sitting with Captain Hunter and Mr. Snart discussing how chess strategies worked in the field. Leonard drew from his many heists while Rip used his infiltrations into various events. Stein moderated the conversation. He was pleased to see how much Mr. Snart had internalized the lessons of chess. That he could then connect them to his own actions showed how much he'd understood the stratagems. Hopefully, he'd internalize the workings of his ship soon so they could once again be in more regular contact. Clarissa had been Stein's touchstone keeping him in touch with the real world; they were Mr. Snart's.

Unaware of Stein's observations, Leonard continued to debate with Rip about the relative merits of certain actions. For his part, Rip couldn't help feeling proud of Mr. Snart's transformation. While the decisions about the Oculus and the Elders had been his, Mr. Snart could not have made them if he'd never been recruited for Rip's team.

The evening drew to a close and it would be business as usual tomorrow. The group broke up as each went their own way after saying farewell to Leonard. They'd said their goodbyes that morning so Sara gave him a quick kiss and left him to walk out with Mick.

Outside it was pitch black. The ships had settled down in a remote area away from human settlements. Standing in the doorway, Mick struggled to find something to say. "You're doing okay on that ship?"

"I don't have much time to think. If it's not planning something it's learning something about the Iceberg." Leonard cocked his head to one side. "Thanks for trying to keep me a part of the group. At home, I could talk to Lisa or you or just go to Sinners and Saints for a beer and watch people. I thought I didn't need anyone." He shook his head. "Anyways, thanks."

"Be seeing ya then," said Mick and he watched Snart head off into the darkness.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

It was less than two weeks later when Geoffrey contacted the Waverider. Rip was looking for something in one of his books while Mr. Rory poked around his collection of maps looking for a specific one.

Rip was seated at his desk when the call came through. He placed a worn bookmark between the pages and set the tome down.

"Captain Hunter. I need your assistance. Captain Cold has...well, it's hard to explain."

Fearing the worst, Rip asked, "Is he dead?" He felt Mr. Rory move up to stand beside him.

"No. But he is unresponsive."

"What happened to him? He get shot?" Mick had been afraid that without him to watch his partner's back that he'd get hurt.

"No. He is catatonic.

* * *

 _I'm leaving you with a teaser for the next chapter. I tried to be as accurate as I could with regards to history. Apologies for any inaccuracies. As always, I would love to hear what you thought about this chapter. Thank you for reading._


	4. Chapter 4

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter 4**

 _Not all missions go the way they're supposed to. Warning for strong language and adult situations. (Author's note: this chapter is NOT a metaphor - 11-23-16. Happy Thanksgiving for those of you living in the States.)_

* * *

It was less than two weeks later when Geoffrey contacted the Waverider. Rip was looking for something in one of the ship's library books while Mr. Rory poked around the collection of maps looking for a specific one that Rip had told him they would need.

Rip was seated at his desk when the call came through. He placed a worn bookmark between the pages and set the tome down. "What is it Geoffrey?"

"Captain Hunter. I need your assistance. Captain Cold has...well, it's hard to explain."

Fearing the worst, Rip asked, "Is he dead?" He felt Mr. Rory move up to stand beside him.

"No. But he is unresponsive."

"What happened to him? He get shot?" Mick had been afraid that without him to watch his partner's back that he'd get hurt.

"No. He is catatonic. Let me show you." The screen cleared and they could see Leonard Snart sitting at a black table in what looked like his office. He was not moving and it was only with Geoffrey's assurance that they knew he was still alive. His eyes were focused on nothing.

"Gideon. Get us to that ship now." Rip ordered and then warned the others that the Waverider was on the move. "What exactly caused this to happen?"

"The Elders had one job that they needed Captain Cold to complete. Out of all their recruits, he had the best chance of pulling it off. My orders were to keep the full details from him."

"Why would you do that?" Stein had come to the bridge to see why they were moving again after being promised a rest. He'd heard Geoffrey's last sentence.

"Because he would never agree to such a mission."

"Perhaps you'd better tell us the whole thing from the start." Rip turned to Mr. Rory. "You know him best; you'll have the best chance of figuring out what we should do." Rip had his own theory about what might have happened to Mr. Snart but kept quiet about it for the moment.

"My orders were to assist Captain Cold with several more missions to help him become used to his new role before tackling..."

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard looked down into the crate located in an aft bay as directed by the Iceberg's AI. "So what am I looking at exactly?"

"It is a Russian missile from the 20th century." Geoffrey was being deliberately obtuse.

"What am I expected to do with it?" Leonard was trying to figure out where this was going and came up blank. He didn't have enough data.

"You need to take four of the missiles and place them in the launch tubes."

"How?" Leonard walked up and down the length of the crate appraising the missile. There was no way he could lift it.

"Use the antigravity devices that you used to move your office furniture."

"Why didn't you tell me to bring them down in the first place," Leonard grumbled as he climbed the stairs. He went to his office and opened one of the cabinets. On a shelf was a set of small grey disks. "Why do we need these missiles anyways?"

"We are headed to 1943 Russia and may have to defend ourselves."

"And what will we be doing in Russia exactly?"

"The Elders have a very delicate mission for you. It will take exquisite timing to ensure complete success."

"Not a problem." Leonard had always had excellent timing on jobs and, now being able to work by himself, he'd found his rhythm again. "Who or what am I to mess with?"

"You are stopping a bomb from exploding."

"Huh." Leonard cocked his head to one side as he thought about it. "What do I have to do?"

"You first need to get to the North Smolensk Airport to collect a package."

"Who is the target?"

"We need to make sure that a transport plane does not go down. The staff inside are vital to history."

"Who exactly?"

"Several visiting dignitaries to Russia."

Eyes narrowed, Leonard realized that Geoffrey was putting him off.

"So how do I diffuse this bomb?"

"First, get the missiles loaded into the launch tubes and then I will teach you how to disarm the bomb."

A few hours later, Geoffrey was satisfied that Leonard would be able to disable the bomb in the limited time that he would have.

"So who are the dignitaries?" He was not going to let that go.

"These are the top aides that will be on this plane." A list scrolled across the wall screen.

Leonard had rebelled in school finding that the one place he could fight back. His father didn't push him there. After all, if his son was home, he could help on jobs. Once his father was incarcerated, Leonard had dropped out to take care of Lisa. That was when he'd become a voracious reader; he'd been driven by the need to surpass his father in heists. Museums and collections had the most expensive items and he learned history to determine what would sell best. He'd paid the bills by robbing ATMs and small stores but he'd always kept his eye out for a big haul. Dragging his attention back to the job at hand, Leonard asked, "How do they affect the war?" He didn't recognize any of the names at all.

"They are on command staff and are responsible for material in the war effort."

Leonard dragged the tablet to him and tried his own search. He felt there was something missing from Geoffrey's information. He was right. But Geoffrey controlled the ship and all its data so Leonard's search turned up only what he was allowed to see.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Buttoning the collar of his purser's uniform, Leonard waited at the hanger's door for the delivery. He spotted the target dressed in a German officer's uniform and approached him. "You have something for delivery?" he asked quietly. His target was sweating heavily and seemed very nervous. He started when Leonard spoke. Repeating himself, Leonard spoke again. The translator he'd swallowed a year prior was still attached to his larynx.

Looking down, the balding officer seemed surprised at the box he carried. "I need to find Officer..."

Leonard cut him off. "All officers are busy preparing for takeoff. I will deliver it for you." Using his height to advantage, Leonard stared down his mark. He had to get his hands on the package.

Nervous, the officer finally capitulated. He knew if he made too much of a fuss, they might discover what the box truly contained. He thrust it quickly into Leonard's hands. "It's two bottles of Cointreau brandy. Please be careful. It is going to a friend in Berlin." He gave the name of the intended recipient.

"Of course, sir." Leonard knew he had very little time. He left the officer and rounded the corner of the hanger. Stepping aside into the shadows, he opened the box. The plastic explosive was nestled carefully in its box. The spring was soaked with the slow-acting acid; the bomb had been activated just as Geoffrey had warned. He pulled out his tools and connected a bypass circuit so that he could remove the spring and put a new one in its place. Using needle nose pliers, the original spring was soon tossed away and in less than a minute, a new, intact one took its place. Now the bomb would not go off.

"You need to place the box in the hold now, sir, and leave."

"What's the rush?"

"There can be no suspicion on you. If someone should investigate the package and you are arrested..."

"Yeah, yeah." Leonard interrupted. He stepped out of the shadows and into the weak spring sunlight. He approached the cargo door and found the officer who, according to history, was to accept the package. "This is from Officer von Tresckow. I believe you are expecting this?" The younger officer reached out, accepted the package, and turned into the cargo hold of the Condorplane.

Once the bomb was safe, Leonard had been told to return to the Iceberg immediately. But he hated being told what to do. He left the hanger's vicinity but stayed close to see who would be boarding the plane. He took off his jacket and reversed it; now he looked like a local. Taking a hat out of his pocket, he snugged it down. He was resettling his gloves when a motorcade pulled into view.

"Captain Cold. Your tracker shows that you are still at the airfield. You need to return to the ship immediately. We must go." Geoffrey realized that his captain would not budge. This could be disastrous. "Sir. Please remember the last time you did not return in a timely manner. This ship received severe damage."

"Yes. And I learned something I wasn't supposed to. Why do I get the feeling that you're trying to keep something from me again?"

Geoffrey had no answer to that accusation since it was true.

The cars began to disgorge their passengers. Leonard could feel the rage boiling up inside as he spotted one particular man as he stepped out of his car. The only thing that stopped Leonard from jumping out to attack was the knowledge that he'd never succeed. There was a protective phalanx surrounding the group. He'd be mowed down before he got close enough. His fists were clenched so tightly that his wrists cramped. There was nothing left for him to do; he turned around and headed for the Iceberg.

"Geoffrey! Do you realize what I've done? Why the hell am I asking you that? Of course you know; you set me up," he hissed. He dropped his hand down after turning off his comm. He didn't want to be seen talking to himself as he went down the street. But he'd already been spotted.

"We've found another one." A figure stepped back into the shadows to avoid being seen. He pointed a scanner at Leonard and looked at the results, confused. "He doesn't have a chip."

"Then how do you know he's an agent?"

"He's using a comm. And I'm getting readings for a time ship in the vicinity."

"Follow and capture."

Leonard was developing and discarding plans about confronting Geoffrey and then the Elders but that didn't keep his instincts from working. He had a tail. He discreetly scanned both sides of the street and found what he was looking for. A house that had been turned into a beer hall. It would serve a dual purpose. He entered and stopped, turning around to look at the street he'd just left. He would bet money that the man in the green coat had been following him. The man continued on down the street just like a professional.

"Target entered a bar on ul. Marshala Eremenko."

Another voice spoke up over the comms. "Will move in. What is the target wearing?"

"A blue shirt, black leather jacket and black cap."

"Capture if possible. If not, tag for future extraction."

Inside, Leonard stepped up to the bar and gestured to the bartender. Holding a brimming stein, he headed towards the back but soon realized that there was no exit other than the front door. A quick check showed that the bathroom had no window either; he was trapped. He leaned against a post and figured out his next move. It didn't occur to him to contact Geoffrey; the recent betrayal was too fresh. He made himself as unobtrusive as possible as he watched the front door where his vigilance was soon rewarded. The door opened to admit a man; it wasn't the same one but Leonard saw him scan the room quickly. He was the target. Now why were they after him?

An ugly smile stretched Leonard's mouth. He raised his stein high and brought it down on the shoulder of one of the burly men sitting at the nearby table. The man shoved back from the table and turned to face his attacker. But Leonard wasn't there. He'd moved off to another target and another. Soon, the room erupted into chaos. He threw a few punches which felt wonderful. He wanted to let go but unlike Mick, he knew when to leave a fight. He'd made his way across the room until he could grab someone by the back of his coat and toss him into his follower. While the two men were tangled up, he slipped out the door and continued on his way. Leonard kept an eye out for the first tail but didn't see the third. The woman came towards him and brushed against him in the crowd before walking past.

The thief quickly checked but he wasn't missing anything; she hadn't picked his pocket. What he didn't know was that a small tracking device had been planted on his coat sleeve.

Leonard headed east once again as he left the hall heading to where the Iceberg was cloaked in a wooded area a mile away. He looked around for a vehicle to steal and spotted a motorcycle. The owner was elsewhere so he used the universal key Geoffrey had given him and headed off.

"We have a problem. Target had acquired a vehicle. He's on a motorcycle headed east." The original tail had almost caught up to Leonard and could only watch as he drove away. He pulled out a small electronic device and flipped a switch.

"Tracking device is working. Is anyone close enough to follow? We need to capture him now before he reaches his ship."

A series of negatives came over the link as no one was close enough to follow. The captain of this mission had a projected map on his ship's bridge and followed as Leonard made it to his own ship which uncloaked right before he entered. A small explosion was triggered causing the tracking device to fall off Leonard's coat. With luck, a cleaning robot would not find it until they had tracked and captured this enigmatic agent.

Leonard wished he could slam a door. Stomping would only look too much like a tantrum. He stalked up the stairs to the bridge and sat in his command chair.

"Sir?" Geoffrey wasn't exactly sure what was needed. The Elders had predicted his captain's adverse reaction. "We need to leave here. Now."

Leonard pulled the restraint down over his head as the chair rotated. He automatically went through the motions and caused the ship to lift off and enter the Time Stream. They had avoided being fired upon and Geoffrey locked down the missiles until they could be placed back into storage.

Once the eerie green light filled the forward window, Leonard got up and walked to his desk. With his eidetic memory, he was recalling something Stein had said. Sitting down, he leaned back with his hands along the armrest.

Geoffrey watched Captain Cold for the next hour. While his eyes blinked, he didn't display any sign that he was aware of anything. "Captain?" Geoffrey tried a few more times with no response. He decided that he needed help and opened a transmission circuit. "Captain Hunter. I need your assistance."

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Rip knew Sara was fuming at being left behind on the Waverider but Geoffrey had been adamant that only he and Mr. Rory enter the Iceberg to assist Captain Cold. Both men took the steps two at at time to find the bridge empty.

"He is in his office to your right." Geoffrey illuminated the room.

Both stopped at the sight of their former teammate. He was seated at his desk staring at nothing. Leonard didn't react to their presence although he had to have heard them enter. Rip cautiously approached the desk crossing Mr. Snart's field of vision. No reaction.

"What happened?" Mick demanded of the ship.

"The Elders sent Captain Cold on a mission that they feared would break him. It appears they were correct."

"Pfff. Nothing breaks Snart." Mick's chin jutted out defiantly. But Snart didn't react at all. Mick tilted his head back and looked around the room for any clues to what the mission was.

More direct, Rip posed the question. "What was the mission exactly?" He'd asked before but Geoffrey had put them off until they reached the Waverider.

"Show them."

The two men turned as they heard Snart's rough voice.

"Show them whose life you made me save." The bitterness was acid in his voice.

The two men watched as the nearby monitor cleared and a newspaper page appeared. Squinting at the headline, Rip understood a few moments before Mr. Rory what had Mr. Snart so upset. "Why?" Rip asked the AI. That one word was shaded with multiple meanings.

"Adolf Hitler had an enormous impact on history. He had to survive the assassination attempt or the timeline would be irrevocably altered."

Exploding out of his chair, Leonard spat at the AI. "You tricked me!" He staggered as his stiffened legs tried to support him.

"See. I told you Snart was okay." Mick felt vindicated. People always underestimated his friend.

"I am not okay, Mick. I was just turned into the biggest patsy ever. No one...no one does that to me. Saving Hitler makes me responsible for the death of millions of innocents!" Leonard had killed people before. His code was often fluid as Barry Allen had learned. But the one solid rule was that he would never intentionally put a child in danger. He had known that the Flash would save the passengers on that train that he derailed. Since he'd learned the truth, his eidetic memory had pulled up picture after picture from history books. Haggard individuals, some no older than eight, holding onto barbed wire fences hoping for rescue. Other images had made the gorge rise as he'd sat there waiting for his former teammates. He had done that. He had allowed that monster to live.

Rip crossed his arms and faced the AI's floating image. Every Time Master was taught that they might have to commit repugnant acts to keep the timeline intact. Calvert had been his cross to bear. Then he had made the mistake to attempt to stop Vandal Savage's reign of terror against the wishes of the Time Council. That they had been backing Savage was moot. Savage had committed heinous crimes himself but Rip didn't know of anyone who had been assigned such a task as Mr. Snart. To save a mass murderer. He had held back on judging the Elders after learning about the chip. After all, they had brought their friend back to life. But with no warning and no preparation, they'd tossed Mr. Snart into an untenable situation. "What do you want to do?" he asked the thief.

Leonard deflated. He'd been asking himself that question every since he'd seen the Führer step out of his car. "I don't know." He'd spent the last few hours trying to decide that very thing. He knew if he quit, he'd be abandoned in another universe away from everyone. But at least there he'd not be made responsible for any other deaths demanded by history.

"Come back to the Waverider."

"No. I can't...not yet." _Maybe not ever_ he thought.

Rip understood but thought it was a bad idea for him to be alone. He'd had Gideon help him with his own self-recriminations after Calvert. But Geoffrey had done this to Mr. Snart. There was no way the thief would listen to the AI. "Mr. Rory. Why don't you stay here?" It wasn't the best choice. Mr. Rory was not a sympathetic individual but he did care about his friend and maybe his presence alone would help Mr. Snart.

Rip left the two behind in the office and headed towards the Waverider. He wanted to get Gideon's advice for dealing with this situation. "You will stay here until we get this settled." He demanded that the AI not abscond with their friend.

"We will not go anywhere. I have been in contact with the Elders. They ask for your help as do I. Captain Cold has done his job heroically. They hope that you can help him recover. I regret that the subterfuge was necessary." If an AI could sound contrite, this one did.

"Maybe. But it wasn't right keeping the truth from him."

"Did it make it any easier for you when you knew?"

Surprised that the AI knew about his own missions, Rip thought for a moment. "Yes. It did." He'd tried to keep himself from getting close to anyone in Calvert, unsuccessfully, but had steeled himself for the consequences. And too, he'd been trained from a young age regarding the pitfalls of allowing history to happen to keep the timeline intact. Mr. Snart was a ruthless man but he'd become more...human as he'd worked with the team. He'd even chosen the team over his partner when it was for the greater good. Would this betrayal turn him back into his former self? Rip hoped not. "You should have told him the truth." He stepped off the smaller ship and headed towards his own which was settled fifty yards away. He dreaded the questions he was going to have to field. Where did Mr. Snart's privacy begin and end?

The team was waiting for him in his office. Professor Stein spoke for them all. "Well? Is Mr. Snart going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure. Physically, he's fine. Emotionally...I'm not sure."

"Since when did Snart worry about feelings?" While Ray Palmer no longer felt the contempt he'd once held for Snart, he still saw him as a high school dropout who refused to use his talents for anything other than himself.

Rip wished he could talk to Professor Stein and Ms. Lance only but the others needed to be aware of the situation as well. Something might come up later and they'd need to know the main facts. "The Elders gave Mr. Snart a job that he performed flawlessly."

"So what's his beef?" asked Jax.

"They had Mr. Snart diffuse a bomb that was intended to kill Adolph Hitler."

"How? What? Why would they?" The room erupted with multiple loud voices.

"The Elders didn't tell him who he was to save. Stubborn as usual, he waited and learned the truth. To say he feels betrayed is an understatement."

Sara felt as if she'd been doused in cold water. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she tried to think clearly. Leonard had been of a like mind when she'd mentioned offing Savage. Killing such a man was the only sane option for a rational person. And Leonard was a man driven by facts and figures. She hugged herself wanting to go to him and realizing that she couldn't. Mick wasn't here; he had to have stayed behind. A tear slid down her cheek before dropping off her chin. She wished she could take some of Leonard's pain but he'd never admit to feeling it in the first place. He'd grown to care for her but she didn't think she had his trust that much. Now, maybe he'd never give it to her.

Ray couldn't figure out what to say. He leaned back in his chair and spent some time doing a little soul searching. Everyone knew what Hitler had done. He would bet all time travelers fantasized about killing him. But Snart had been made to save him. He knew how much Snart hated to be told what to do. That on top of being lied to had to make the man furious and dangerous. But who would pay for it? Ray hoped it wouldn't be them.

Jax knew history. What he didn't understand was why Stein's emotions were roiling around so much. Realizing that there was nothing he could do, nothing he could say, he left the office. He'd been meaning to do some work in the engine room and now was as good a time as any. He was certain they'd be grounded for a while.

Rip surreptitiously watched Professor Stein. He was shaken beyond any of the others. He reached blindly behind him until he found his chair's arm and sank down. His face was paler than normal and it quickly became apparent that his thoughts had turned inward.

It looked like more than Mr. Snart had been broken by the Elder's actions. Rip prayed that things could be mended.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Mick looked down at his partner who was seated behind his desk again. The pyro was not as dumb as most people believed. His time in the Vanishing Point had helped him control the rage and with that not taking center stage, he'd learned to think things through. Sometimes. Right now, he wished the Elders were in front of him so he could set them on fire. Neither thief believed in talking things out because each had learned at an early age to suppress any feelings. When he was a child, Lisa had made a chink in Snart's armor that had never closed up. Maybe that's why this was hitting him so hard. He'd actually felt compassion for someone in his life. Mick on the other hand had never felt compassion. He didn't receive it nor, in his honest opinion, did he deserve it. But his partner needed some sort of release or he would explode. "You're angry."

"No Mick, I'm not angry. That doesn't even begin to describe it." Leonard's hands were clenched where they rested on the table.

"Want to fight?" Mick offered the only relief he could. He could take whatever Snart could dish out. And Snart needed to get it out just as he himself had after being subdued and captured by the team. Startled by the maniacal gleam in Snart's eyes when he looked up, Mick stepped back to let him lead the way.

On the far side of the Iceberg was a small clearing; Leonard headed there. He turned and waited for Mick and then attacked. Snart had learned most of his fighting techniques from Mick. This made is easier for Mick to block many of his shots but a lot got through his defense even so. Time stopped as Leonard forced his rage and self-loathing out through his fists. He knew this would not be the end of his anger but he was able to bring it down to a manageable level. He swung and missed when Mick ducked and went down. And stayed down. Mick dropped next to him not nearly as exhausted. Neither spoke for a long time.

Leonard was grateful for the release Mick had helped with. The anger was now under control and would remain tightly reined in. He would not lose control again. The only thing left was to decide was what he would do next: stay an agent for the Elders or be stranded in some unknown era. He really didn't know what he'd choose. The sun was beginning to set when he stood up.

"Now what?" Mick was curious. He remembered the choices given to Snart when he'd been brought back to life. Which would he choose?

"I don't know." The younger man turned to go back to his ship. It would be a sleepless night as he tried to make a decision.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard was in his office once again when Geoffrey told him that Professor Stein was asking admittance. He had to think about that for a moment, but Stein was better than Ray or Jax so he agreed. He definitely wasn't ready to face Sara yet.

Stein took his time coming up to the bridge. He peered around examining the control panels before turning to face Leonard standing in the doorway. He gave a small smile. "I am glad to see that you've recovered from your..your..."

"Breakdown? Didn't have one. It was just an act. You know it was your comments that gave me the idea." Leonard had convinced himself that retreating into his own thoughts had been completely intentional. He'd forgotten how he'd done the same thing when his father had come home in a rage and insisted that his son stay in the same room. There were huge chunks of time missing from his childhood narrative that he was unaware of.

Curious, Stein asked, "What comments would those be?"

"You pointed out that while on this ship I'm captive to Geoffrey. I realized he'd blocked the information that would have told me about Hitler when I tried to research the mission. If I tried to contact you all, he'd probably block that too. I knew if I didn't respond to him, he would have to go for help eventually." Leonard had been prepared to wait for days. He was a very patient man when he had to be.

"What if Geoffrey had decided that the Elders could help instead?"

That had been the one risk in his plan. But if he'd gone to wherever they were, he might have gotten some answers. "I don't think they want me back there for whatever reason."

"I see. However, I do not think that you are _okay_ whatever you may believe."

"Why? Because I just saved the biggest mass murderer in history? Why should that bother me? I've killed before; you know that."

"Yes. But those were events under your direct control."

Deflated, Leonard knew Stein had a point. He'd been arguing that same point but that didn't stop his feelings of responsibility. He snarled. Responsibility. He was a thief. Pure and simple. Hero wasn't on his resume no matter what others thought.

Stein looked around the office and settled down in a chair. He gestured to another, "Please?" Leonard was pacing but realized that Stein has something to say. Seated, his leg jiggled until he throttled down the motion.

Gazing at the younger man, Stein quickly reviewed what he'd planned to say. He had no idea how patient Mr. Snart would be with him. "I was born in 1950. My family escaped from Europe seven years prior. I would not be here, in America, if Hitler had not begun his reign of terror. I would not have met Clarissa. I would never have become Firestorm. There are other individuals, writers, artists, and most importantly, scientists, who escaped Hitler's reign of terror or left Europe after the war. Their works would never have come to be without the influence of such a mad man."

"What are you saying?"

"Mr. Snart. You were in 1943 when you saved Hitler's life. The concentration camps were already built. You could not have stopped the many deaths that you seem to be blaming yourself for."

"Millions died after 1943 as well. Soldiers. Civilians. Children." It was the last that haunted him the most. He'd been more of a father to Lisa than Lewis had. He remembered comforting her after bad dreams and his joy when she'd learned to ride her motorcycle. So many European children never had the chance to know joy. All they were given had been bad dreams and for many, death.

"Yes. They did. But didn't our mission chasing Vandal Savage teach you anything about time?"

"What are you getting at?"

"The fact that time is set. We can't go back and fix what we think...and in this case know, is wrong."

"Then what are we all doing? We're still trying to fix things all up and down the time line."

"I believe we are more like police. That we are making sure that what is supposed to have happened still happens. Good and evil. What if your next mission was to save Jonas Salk?"

"Who?" He actually knew but couldn't resist that little dig.

"Oh, never mind. The point is that we are trying to keep the world going as it is supposed to not as we want it to go."

Stein's words struck a deep chord in Leonard. He'd tried to save his father from going to prison to save both himself and his sister from years of abuse. But time twisted events so that Lewis had still been arrested. He looked Stein in the eyes and nodded. "I'll think about what you've said."

"That is all that I ask." Stein stood up. "I hope that you continue to fight with us in this mission. We lost you once; it would be disheartening to lose you a second time. But in the end it is your choice." He turned and left the bridge leaving thought-filled silence in his wake.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

"Geoffrey, hail the Waverider." The face that appeared on the screen was not Rip's but Sara's. She'd been on the bridge since before dawn.

"Hey," she said. She had dithered about coming over to see Leonard but Rip, Mick, and Martin had all convinced her that Leonard needed space. It seemed he'd come to a decision. Her hands were tightly clenched below the console's level. Would she lose him again? "What are you going to do?" She held her voice steady with her iron will. She would not break down. Not in front of Leonard at least.

"I need time. What I did..saving Hitler. We know that was wrong. If I hadn't taken the Elders up on their offer. If I hadn't wanted to be back. To see you. Mick. If I had just chosen to let them set me down somewhere else then all those innocent people might not have died. That's blood on my hands."" He looked her right in the eyes. He'd grown up feeling shame. Shame at what his father had done to him and to Lisa. He'd created a cold core inside that was untouchable. Sara had melted that core just a bit. Now he was paying the price for regaining his humanity. He didn't know how he was going to live with what he'd done. He just knew that he couldn't face any of the team until he'd found his way.

Sara had seen Oliver deal with his guilt over the years. Guilt was probably a new emotion for Leonard and it had hit him hard. "I'll be here when you need me." Her hands were cramping from being squeezed so tightly. She felt he was very close to breaking. Hopefully Geoffrey would be able to take care of him until he found himself once again. She just prayed that he could. "Will you contact us? Let us know what you decide?"

"I think...I promise I'll let you know one way or the other." He'd come to a decision last night. He had almost decided that he would continue working for the Elders. But he wasn't certain. He would demand complete control over missions and if he wasn't given that, then he was done. "Let the others know I'm leaving. Tell Mick thanks. And I'm sorry that I didn't see you."

"I get it. I know you brooding types." She smiled to take the sting out of the comment. "I will be here," she assured him.

"I'll be seeing you." Leonard reached out and turned off the screen. He wished he could tell Sara how much her faith helped. He was surprised that they had not turned him away or reviled him. He wasn't alone if he didn't want to be.

Sara turned to see Mick leaning against the wall of the bridge tossing a knife up and catching it as it fell. Neither felt the desire to speak. He joined Sara as they watched the Iceberg take off. Their thoughts were with the friend who was missing once again.

* * *

 _To "the greatest outsider [Mick] ever knew."_ "Abominations" November 3, 2016.

This chapter has been in the works for months. It came from ideas touted in "Progeny," "The Magnificent Eight," and "River of Time." I tried to be as historically accurate as possible, but I'm sure there are errors that I hope you forgive.

I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter; if you would, please let me know in a review. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**To Weave a new Pattern - Chapter Five**

 _This is my AU version of the further adventures of Leonard Snart and the Legends. I intend no copyright infringement; I just want to write in this world. Warning for implied violence-nothing explicit and for language. I'm so sorry it took so long; I make the yearbook without a staff. It's been crunch time. Thank you for hanging in there with me and this story (Maricejayo especially). I will post the next chapter soon._

* * *

Sitting in the command chair, Leonard took the Iceberg up and into the Time Stream before placing it on autopilot. He unclenched his jaw and spoke. "How badly do the Elders need me now that I've saved Hitler?"

"The Elders believed that you were the only one who could accomplish that mission out of all their agents. However, they have other missions that require your specific skill set."

The thief wondered exactly which of his skill sets was needed. "Let's get one thing straight. From here on out, you will not keep me in the dark about any aspect of any mission. You do and I walk. To hell with any punishment the Elders want to make."

"Yes, Captain." If a computer could sound meek, Geoffrey did. He'd been in contact with the Elders since Leonard had discovered the truth about the Hitler mission. They had given him a list of compromises he could offer his captain as an inducement to keep him as an agent. They had also drawn their own line in the sand. If Captain Cold had refused to accept any more missions, the AI was to enter a parallel universe and deposit his former captain in the year 2272. While it would not be his own timeline, Leonard Snart would be able to acclimate and live out his life. Isolated from everyone that he had ever cared about. They were sympathetic, but a deal had been made. They would strand him as promised. "Captain. I have a list of possible jobs for you to accept. Would you care to choose?"

Eyes narrowed, Leonard wondered at the change. "A choice?" Cocking his head to one side, he thought for a moment. "Alright. Let's see what they have in mind." He took the tablet out of the desk drawer certain that the information would soon be at his fingertips. He settled down in his chair, propped his feet on the desk, and began to read. To get an idea of how many possibilities there were, he caused the list to scroll rapidly down. It would take a while to peruse it all. "How are these arranged?"

"The list is chronological to the timeline. There is not one event that takes priority over another. Your mission with Hitler was assigned as soon as it was in case you decided to quit or..."

"Or I died." He snorted. He read for hours. "Since it's all the same, I'll decide tomorrow." Leonard stood and headed to the galley; he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually eaten something. As he sat down at the small bar, he realized he'd made his decision. He was staying as a time agent for the Elders. For now.

He knew he should let the others know his decision, but he was worried that one or the other would want to talk about that mission. The only one who wouldn't ask any questions would be Mick and as he knew his partner very well, Mick would be settling down with a cold one or three and might forget to tell the others what Leonard's decision was. Leonard was halfway through his meal before the solution came to him. He finished, cleaned up the galley, and headed to his room where he could implement his idea about letting them know his choice without actually having to talk to anyone just yet.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Sara was pushing her coffee mug back and forth across the table. She hadn't heard from Leonard last night and was afraid he'd decided he was done. She knew how he felt about being made a patsy. Would he be that angry with the Elders and chuck it all? It would be just like the Elders to maroon him without letting him say goodbye to anyone. Thoughts kept bouncing back and forth. She knew she wasn't _in_ love with Leonard. Not the forever and ever kind. But she did love him and to lose him a second time would be devastating. After he sacrificed himself at the Oculus, she'd felt regret and grief. The "what might have been" had filled her thoughts for days. Now she knew what was between them. And this time she wouldn't lose him to the Grim Reaper. No. The Elders would strand him somewhere else to live out his life. Alone. She would be left wondering about his fate for the rest of her life.

She lifted her gaze to meet Professor Stein's as he entered. His lips were quirked in the little half smile he often wore. "It seems Mr. Snart has decided to stay an agent."

"How do you know? Did he contact you?" A tiny thread of jealousy arose in her. Why contact Martin and not her?

"Not exactly." He understood how she might be hurt by Mr. Snart's lack of communicating with her. "What I meant to say is that he started a new game of chess. I found it in my inbox this morning. No message per se, just the opening move."

Martin was glad he could give Sara the news. He had been shocked that the thief and assassin had become... _what had they become exactly_? He was bemused. You couldn't call them a couple. At least not in the traditional sense. He shrugged. This team seemed to thrive on defying tradition. "Will you pass on the news to Mr. Rory? I believe he's dealing with a hangover. Again." Martin pointed to the counter littered with beer bottle caps.

"I'll let him know; and Martin? Thanks." Sara infused her words with all the gratitude that she had. Maybe not immediately, but Leonard would return to meet up with the team and with her. She had promised him she would be there when he needed her. What he would be dealing with would weigh him down as she knew from bitter experience. "Gideon?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance."

"What's on the schedule for today?" While she would be waiting for him to return, she was not one to just sit and wait.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

When Leonard finally woke, his body was stiff and sore. He flexed his hands and was surprised until he remembered that he'd used them to try and pound Mick yesterday. After a long, hot shower, he began to feel human again. Coffee cup in hand, he headed towards the bridge.

Geoffrey had been silent as he watched his captain move around the ship. When he finally settled behind his desk, the AI spoke. "Captain. Any ideas on your next mission?"

"Not sure yet." Leonard picked up the tablet from where he'd left it and continued looking for something that perked his interest. The files had key words like _breaking and entering, pickpocket_ , and _theft_ highlighted. "I guess those skill sets," he thought. Nothing really grabbed him so he swiped his finger and watched as the list quickly scrolled past. He touched the screen to stop the movement and read the text under his finger. That would do. "1928 Alexander Fleming." He continued to read. Interesting.

"I will need a day to culture the necessary growths. You will need era-appropriate clothes from the fabricator and a weapon will not be necessary."

Looking over the job's parameters, Leonard determined what tools he would need. The first were in his bedroom and the rest would be down below. Opening the top drawer, he placed the tablet within. Standing up, he headed downstairs. His lockpick tools were in his jacket pocket. Going down to the fabricator room, he took the vest off the mannequin and checked to see which pocket could best conceal the tiny box. Opening and closing drawers, he looked for the other things he thought he'd need and placed them in a bin by the door. Once he was finished, he was at loose ends. Leonard decided to continue looking at the list of missions so he headed back upstairs. He realized that he was avoiding having to think too much.

Retrieving the tablet, he asked the AI "How can I mark assignments on the tablet that I'm choosing?"

"Hold your finger over the name until you see the text change color. I will place those into a separate file for us to see at a later date."

As the hours passed, he was grateful for all the reading he'd done over the years. While many of the events were unknown to him, the eras and key figures within most were familiar. He was able to grasp what his chosen jobs would entail and what obstacles he might encounter. Some, however, were pretty far back in time as well as far forward.

"Geoffrey?"

"Yes, sir."

"When we went back to 1868, there were some serious side effects. I couldn't get the words out that were in my head; what did Rip call it? Linguistic dysplasia. How can we go back or forward even farther?"

"If you recall, the tub has extra faucets. The same faucet that has the gel for burns and wounds can also dispense another gel I have that will cushion a human from most of the deleterious physical effects so long as they are immersed while we are traveling."

"So how far back can we go?"

"This ship can take you anywhere on that list. It would be ridiculous to send you somewhere where you are unable to function."

Unable to argue with that logic, Leonard went back to the list and marking. Once finished, he set the tablet down. This was what he'd been avoiding. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and thought. Thought about what he'd done with his life before and after meeting Barry Allen. Rip Hunter. Sara Lance. Each person had contributed to changing the course of Leonard's life. But the one person who was most instrumental was Lisa. He was consumed with the need to know how her life had turned out. But he was afraid to find out. If anything happened to her, he would blame himself. She had been the one reason he got out of bed so many days while growing up. He'd left her when she was an adult. She had her Gold Gun; she had Cisco and the Flash. She had her own life. She was as stubborn as her big brother. She could take care of herself.

He remembered recording the message to her the night before he'd died at the Oculus. He'd sent that recording with Mick who assured him that Lisa saw it. _"Hey sis. I hate this, but I have to break my promise to you. I'm not coming home. I wish you could understand, but I'm not the same person I was the last time you saw me...These Time Masters have been controlling our destinies. They've been manipulating us for years. Made me wonder if they hadn't made our lives, yours and mine, the way it was for their end game... I have to try to stop the Time Masters. I will not be a puppet for them any more. I won't let them hurt any of us ever again._

 _I need you to give a message to the Flash for me. Tell him we were both right. Being a hero doesn't pay anything. But I guess there was something good in me after all. I'm not just a criminal any more. He believed in me and said it was a matter of time before I found it. Well, we're sitting at the end of time here, and I guess I found it. I'm just glad I don't have to hear him say 'I told you so.'_

 _There are so many other things I want to say, but it would just confuse you...I just wish I could keep my promise. I love you, train wreck. Never doubt that or forget me." (1)_

He clamped his jaw shut and tucked his fingers under his arms. He would **not** search the news reports or databases for news about Lisa. She would stay unchanged in his memories from the last time he'd seen her when they'd rescued her from the Pilgrim's clutches. He could lose everything and everyone else. Lisa was the one who kept him sane and still gave him a reason to wake up.

Firming his resolve to not try to learn anything about his baby sister and her life, he stood up and went looking for a beer.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

A small clicking sound could be heard right before the lab door opened. Leonard rose from his knees and secreted his lockpicks into the small pocket inside his vest. He flicked on the small flashlight and began searching for his goal. Leonard walked up and down along the counters until he spotted a group of petri dishes filled with a light colored substance. He checked the label to make sure he had the right one. Pulling out a small vial, he opened a dish at random and sprinkled his vial's contents onto the mucus and bacteria within the dish. He left the top slightly askew per history's requirements and left the lab to go to the one next door. Breaking into that room, he replaced a petri dish with one of his own. It contained mold of the same type that he'd sprinkled on the first petri dish. Reaching his hand to his comm, he asked, "That's it?"

"Affirmative. This will ensure that penicillin will be discovered. As you know, this discovery will save millions of lives. Return to the ship, Captain, and we will be able to leave."

This seemed too simple. But the discovery of penicillin happened due to an error at the lab. An error he had created or replicated or whatever. He pushed that singular event in the right direction. He headed back to the Iceberg.

As he sealed the ship's hatch, he spoke, "Well, that was easy." Leonard was surprised that it had gone off without a single problem. Of course, Fleming had gone out of town on vacation so the chances of being caught were small. Still. Now he had to identify the next mission. A thought struck him. "Geoffrey, how many agents do the Elders have working for them?"

"When you were recruited, they had 42 agents."

"And now?" Something in the way the comment had been phrased raised red flags.

"Seven agents have gone missing all up and down the timeline. Their whereabouts are unknown and their ships were unable to track them down." Alive at least. Their corpses had shown up in each of the timelines where they'd vanished. Each looked to have been tortured. That supported the Elders' decision to keep their agents mostly in the dark about the Elders to keep the Elders safe from their unknown enemies. Even the AIs did not know everything about the Elders. They could not take their captains with the ships back to base without assistance. The AIs were given a recall signal that would complete the coordinates allowing them to return to base.

"Any ideas about what happened to them?"

"The Elders are looking into it. That is why they want us in constant contact with our captains during their missions."

"Huh." Nonplussed, Leonard decided to look into it at a later date provided the AI actually allowed him to. Raising his arms up to the ceiling, he stretched until he felt his vertebrae pop.

The AI didn't want to push his captain but Leonard Snart's mental health was his responsibility as well. "Perhaps you want to talk to Ms. Lance or Mr. Rory?"

It had been over a week since he'd left the team. While he'd continued with the games of chess, he hadn't tried to contact Sara or Mick. He knew he should. It wasn't fair to them and, if he admitted it to himself, he wanted to hear their voices. It was time. "Could you see if Sara is available to talk?"

After a few moments, the AI spoke, "I sent a message. While we're waiting for a response, sir, why don't you practice taking apart the VX-28?"

Feeling like the ship was the one really in charge, Leonard went down to the forward hold where the weapons were stored. This rifle was from the future and used tiny lenses to focus and strengthen the energy beam. He idly wondered if Mick had used one while he was Chronos. He settled into the job and soon all the parts were laid out in a specific order on the towel. He checked the pieces for dust and smudges as he replaced each mirror and screw until the weapon was whole. He would have to wait until they landed to make sure it was firing accurately. With no word about the Waverider, Leonard decided to take apart his Cold Gun. While it didn't have a problem with soot buildup like Mick's, the cold weakened the metal screws and barrel. He'd had to replace several parts since he'd first taken it. Once it was in pieces, he examined each one before slowly rebuilding his gun. He replaced two screws that were showing cracks. He activated it and fired at his coffee mug. It was working perfectly. And he needed a new mug. He stopped by his quarters to leave his gun and headed to the bridge.

"Captain Cold. The Waverider will rendezvous with us in Key West 1936 where they are working on a job. Captain Hunter anticipates they will be done in three days. Sir. Have you ever been swimming in an ocean?"

Confused at the non sequitur, Leonard said, "No." When Lewis had been placed in prison, Lisa had begged for the chance to learn to swim. Unable to deny her anything, they'd both gone and learned. The freedom he had felt in the water had been wonderful.

"Key West means ocean I am assuming."

"Yes sir."

"So is this a part of some big plan? Getting me to swim? And why an ocean?"

"If you remember from the list, there are many assignments on a coastline and several on board a ship. I would hate to lose you to accident."

Not sure how he wanted to take that comment, Leonard stayed quiet and thought.

The sound of tapping filled the small office. Geoffrey had determined that when his captain was distracted, he tended to tap his ring against a hard object. Fortunately, the AI could turn off its auditory sensors.

Leonard and Stein were about halfway through a new game but he'd not talked to any of them since he'd left them behind. He had come to the realization that he needed to speak to Sara. When had he turned into such a sap? He didn't need anyone! But if he admitted the truth to himself, he knew that was a lie. He'd always needed Lisa. Mick had had his back until he didn't. And Sara? What was she? She was a friend and more. He had never spent as much time with any relationship as this one. Leonard hoped that Sara would want to talk to him given he'd been silent so long. He was of two minds about their next conversation. He didn't want comfort from her. He didn't deserve forgiveness. Right now, he needed an ear more than a shoulder. He knew if he waited to talk until they were face to face that, she would feel a need to do something, try to fix what was wrong. She'd stepped in when Mick, as Chronos, had been locked in the Waverider's cell. She had precipitated Leonard's decision to confront Mick and him almost dying from their battle. She had meant well; she just didn't like to see friends at odds especially when it was with themselves.

"Sir. Ms. Lance is calling."

The large screen cleared from the snowscape and Sara's face appeared. "Hey." Her welcome smile was broad; he was glad she'd called.

"Hey." His fears had been for naught. They talked for hours into the night starting off with inconsequential gossip about the team's latest exploits before Leonard finally turned the conversation to darker thoughts. He'd debated talking to Mick first. After all, his partner had caused the death of his own parents in that fire. But Mick's remorse was hidden even from himself. Sara, as a former assassin, understood in her bones what it was to cause death. It wasn't the same but he felt he could unburden himself to her. She listened without judging or even offering any advice. She knew he wasn't ready to hear that yet. It helped. A lot. They cut off the connection when she couldn't hold back her yawns. Apologizing, she promised to meet with him as soon as her own mission was completed.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

The dawn was filled with the lush smells of the foliage as Sara stepped down the sandy path towards the ocean. Back on the ship, the others were celebrating another mission successfully completed. It was a nice change from their first year. The novel _To Have and Have Not_ would now be completed. And they'd been given a few days off. Which was good since Rip, Mick, and Sara were nursing hangovers. She had bragged to Mick that no man could drink her under the table; Papa proved her wrong. Fascinating man. Now she was going to meet up with another one. Her feet sank into the sand and she scanned right then left. "Gideon. Where..? Never mind, I see him." Sara had spotted Leonard who was standing under a tree. She reached up and turned off her comm. She didn't think anyone would listen in but she never knew. But by having it on her, she could be tracked by Gideon if an emergency arose. She stopped a few steps away; she had decided to let Leonard make the first move. Geoffrey had warned her that Leonard was still torn up about the Hitler mission. He'd had nightmares every night.

"I'm glad you came."

She shifted her stance and placed one hand on her hip. "I said I'd be here when you needed it."

Not wanting to darken their reunion, Leonard said, "I need your help. Can you please teach me to swim in the ocean?"

Sara realized that either the team or Leonard would have to deal with a large body of water. She made a note to herself to check that everyone back on the Waverider could swim in the ocean. "Good idea." She smiled at his expression. "Listen, if I hadn't been able to swim in an ocean, I would have died when the Queen's Gambit went down. Then I'd never have ended up with the League of Assassins and would not be standing right here in front of you."

Taking the two steps necessary to close the gap, Leonard drew her into a hug. Speaking into her hair, he said, "And I'm so grateful that you are." Releasing her, he turned towards the shade at the edge of the sand. Following, she saw that he had a few towels, a large blanket, and, seriously, a picnic basket?

"We eat after we swim." He pulled out two pairs of swim goggles; the salt would burn their eyes after a while and Geoffrey had insisted that he pack them.

Dropping her bag down onto the blanket, she accepted the googles, and headed towards the beach.

They stayed in the water until Leonard could barely lift his arms. More accustomed to swimming, Sara was in better shape. Barely. They both dropped to the blanket and lay enervated for a time. Sara's stomach had grabbed her backbone and was strangling it. "What's for lunch?" she asked as she rolled to grasp the basket's edge and pulled it toward her. Lifting the lid, she saw wrapped sandwiches, fruit, and two bottles of something. "Oh my gosh," she gushed as she tasted the roasted veggie sandwich. Leonard's had turned out to be roast beef. The two ate in companionable silence and for dessert, they shared a bowl of strawberries.

Neither wanted to break the silence. Between the sun, the exhaustion, and the good food, they both fell asleep. The sun hitting her face woke Sara. Realizing that Leonard was still asleep, she rolled over to watch him. Relaxed, his face didn't show the stress she'd seen lately. She didn't want to move but the sun was strong and she'd begin to burn. Sitting up, she woke Leonard. He stretched as far as he could and rolled over to grab her into a hug she wasn't expecting. He brushed back her hair and grinned. "So what's on the schedule for the rest of the day? More lessons?"

"I think we're both too tired for that. My arms are aching. A walk?"

Amazed that he was acting like a real person, Leonard offered her a hand up and then kept it. They wandered up and down the beach sometimes talking but mostly just enjoying the time. They knew times like this would be very rare given the lives they had chosen to lead.

Sara wished Leonard wasn't as tall as he was. It was hard to snuggle against him. A whimsical thought struck her and she took action. She leaped onto his back for a ride. Leonard froze. The only person who'd ever done this was Lisa when she'd been a child. But Sara was not his sister. A devilish gleam came into his eye and he raced into the surf and dove below a wave with her. The resulting horseplay got very personal and the two left the water to find that blanket.

The setting sun brought them back to reality. "I have to go," he said.

 _So soon?_ she thought but didn't say. They'd been given this day. With luck, there would be more. They walked back towards the Iceberg. "You're not coming to talk to any of the others?"

"Not this time. I'll talk to Mick later."

"Things are ok with you two right?"

"Sure. It's just that I wanted to spend time with you. And I had to learn how to swim in the ocean. Next time, I'm bringing the scotch and it'll just be me and Mick." He was worried that she might get jealous that the two men would get together but Sara wasn't stupid. They had a friendship that had survived the worst. No one should try to come between that and she'd had her day first.

"Sounds fair. I'm glad it wasn't today since Mick is probably still hung over from last night. Warn him to save up."

"In that case, I'll bring a case." He cradled her face between his palms and gave her a very satisfactory kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. "I'll see you later."

She refused to watch him leave and headed towards her own ship and the rest of the team.

On board, Leonard showered to rinse off the salt residue. "I guess it's time to find another mission. So if I wanted to go to 1586 what would the side effects be?" This target had influenced countless people around the world. He had not forgiven himself for saving Hitler, not yet. But he would atone for that act with missions that had world-wide influence when he could.

As the Iceberg entered the Time Stream, another time ship exited.

"We traced the tracking device here. Scan for the ship."

"Ma'am. It's vanished again."

The ship's captain slammed her hand down onto the console. Whoever this agent was, he moved around a lot. No matter. They'd get their hands on him one day. Maybe he would be the one to tell them all about these Elders.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard emerged from his bathroom. One of the tub faucets had dispensed a gelatinous goop. He'd been given an oxygen mask and told to submerge himself completely for the duration of the jump. His body and brain had been protected from side effects of the extreme time jump. A quick shower had sloughed it off, and he'd dressed for the mission.

"Why the hell am I wearing this poncy nightshirt?" he complained. "Can't the image doohicky make me look like I'm supposed to?"

"The transmogrifier will work for your hair but clothes can be felt. I do not believe that you will allow anyone close enough to you to realized that your hair is not your hair."

Leonard's lips twisted as he conceded the point to the AI. He drew his sword and made a few practice slashes with it.

"We are now in 1586. Our records indicate that your target will be in the woods nearby. You will need to buy two horses first"

"I know." Leonard groused. Not only would this take almost a week, he'd have to spend most of it on horseback. He was going to be hurting. He went to the med bay and palmed some aspirin to stash.

There was a full moon, which illuminated the edge of the clearing. Leonard was leaning against a tree waiting. He didn't have to wait long. He heard the thief long before he saw him. Rank amateur. His mission was to keep this idiot from being arrested. While there were no deer in the area, this lord had a free warren full of rabbits, pheasants, and the like. Poaching was illegal and the punishment severe.

He glided up behind the younger man, grabbed him by the shoulder, and spun him around. "That's a bad idea."

"Who art thee?"

"I'm just saying that poaching is going to get you arrested or worse and then what will you do?

"I am not a poacher. How dare thee accuse me of that!" The younger man was very indignant but his voice betrayed his nervousness.

"Look. Put those snares down and come with me."

"I wilt doth no such thing. I has't business back in Stratford."

Gritting his teeth, Leonard refrained from punching the man. "Look. Sir Lucy is on the estate and he's suspicious. You need to leave now. With me. Or else."

"What doth thee plan to doth with me?"

"We're going to London where you can join a theater troupe."

"What shalt we doth thither?"

"You are going to write." Leonard led the man to a copse of trees and the waiting horses. It would take them five days travel. He was not looking forward to it. At least there were inns along the way that they could stop at.

"But what about mine wife and children?"

Cursing under his breath, Leonard said, "We'll go to Stratford, you can give them some money, and then we're leaving. Your life, or at least your writing hand, is in danger."

That last threat worked. Moving as fast as Leonard wished, he got the would-be playwright onto the horse and moving.

The five days dragged on forever for Leonard. He was wet and cold. Cold he didn't mind but the wet? Although the clothes that Geoffrey had fabricated were waterproof, rain still fell into his collar and down his back. The hat didn't help much due to wind. He led William to the inn he was supposed to and left him talking to the theater manager. His fastidious nature made him want to return to the Iceberg and scrub. He'd avoided getting lice because his hair was so short but his skin still crawled when he saw the critters leaping on the people in the inns that they'd passed through. Activating his comm, he asked the AI, "Is everything done?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Leonard hissed. "I saved his life. Got him to leave his family behind. Brought him to London to join the theater. What else?"

"The timeline shows that his plays are mediocre at best. His first play will be published soon. Upon reading it, it needs major reworking to achieve the version that exists in the proper timeline."

"How the hell am I..."

"Prithee sir but who art thee talking to?" A stable boy had come down from the hayloft.

Not wanting to being taken for a witch, Leonard tried to think of some answer that wouldn't brand him as insane either. "I'm writing a play and I was talking out the parts." He was rather proud of that answer.

"A playeth? That's wonderful. Is the troupe going to perform it in the yard?"

"It's not ready yet. That's why I'm out here. Talking to myself. About what Geoffrey would say to advise his captain."

"I wilt leaveth thee alone then. Good even." The young man left to tend to the horses.

"Sir. I advise you to return to the inn. You will need to steal the copy of the play in his possession. I believe that if he must rewrite it, he will produce the work of art that gets him noticed."

Dropping his head and resigned to another evening of really nasty beer, Leonard went back inside. He paid for round after round to get William drunk until he found out exactly where the manuscript was. It was upstairs in the room with his belongings. Unfortunately, the room was shared with several other men. Leonard had to wait until they all were asleep before lifting the latch and entering. He paused to let his eyes adjust to the dim light and located William's saddlebags. Stepping over two drovers, he squatted down and rummaged for a thick packet of paper. Lifting it, he read the title. This was it. He stuffed the manuscript into his shirt and turned to leave.

"Putteth that back. It doest not belong to thee." One of the carters had woken up to go to the privy and spotted Leonard where he wasn't supposed to be.

While he wasn't Mick, he felt immense satisfaction when he cold-cocked the man who dropped unconscious. Smirking, Leonard left the inn and headed to the west end to get his ship.

The first order of business was a shower so he tossed the manuscript on the bridge console. "Geoffrey. Is the timeline corrected?"

"Yes sir. _Henry VI_ is now as it is known. The timeline has been corrected."

Debating whether to burn it or not, Leonard decided to hold on to it. He was curious about the Bard's first, now unpublished, play.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

"How about we jump forward two hundred years?"

"Which mission did you have in mind Captain?"

"I am going to steal the _French Blue_." Leonard practically rubbed his hands together with glee. This was a mission built for him.

"You do realize, sir, that the clothing will be even more _poncy_ than before?" The AI knew the mission was on the list. The Elders had tried to find jobs that would seduce Captain Cold's avaricious nature.

"Whatever. I don't care."

If the AI could have sighed, it would have. "You will be going into the palace during the revolution. You will break into the Royla Storehouse, the _Hôtel du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne_ along with several others."

"Piece of cake."

The fabricator room made him the appropriate costume and with the transmogrifier, he fixed the rest. Since he was a common thief and not a courtier, his clothing wasn't nearly as gaudy as he'd feared.

The Elders' records showed where the group of thieves were hiding out while the king and queen were being arrested. Leonard moved into their group and provided them with the layout and a plan. Leading the way, he made a beeline for the only item on his list. He ignored the others stuffing their hands into caskets and secreting the jewels and chains inside their shirts. He left them behind.

Back on the ship, he turned the 67.125-carat blue diamond in his hand marveling at the clarity. He remembered that he'd used this very gem to tempt Mick to join Rip's crusade.

"You know you cannot keep it."

"I know." He grinned. "But I also know that it was recut. Geoffrey. Tell me you can cut this diamond?"

"Yes. I have the specification for the new shape in my records. I take it you want the removed pieces."

"Of course." The blue diamond was beautiful and he thought he'd design a setting for the removed piece that could be made into a pendant. It would look wonderful with Sara's eyes. He wished he could send it to Lisa, but she wouldn't know how special it was and besides, he wasn't contacting her at all.

Leonard soon had three diamonds: the 45.54-carat larger diamond and two smaller ones of 10 carats each. Two. Maybe he could make something and send it to Lisa via Barry. He'd have to think about that.

"So where and when are we going to deposit this beautiful thing?"

"We need to set a course for London September 1812. The shop of gem merchant Daniel Eliason."

Setting the Hope Diamond in a bag of loose diamonds in the store's safe brought back memories of many other thefts. The most recent one being when he tried to save his father from incarceration by giving him the Maximillian Emerald. Now he was returning this large diamond so that history was corrected and millions could look at the Hope Diamond in years to come. He wondered what Eliason would think when he found it. If he was smart, he'd keep quiet. He closed the door behind him and relocked it.

Remembering about those missing seven agents and wondering if those who had tried to capture him in Russia were connected, he actually told the AI about the change of plans. If these people were connected to the Time Bastards, he wanted to be prepared to take them down. If they were a new danger, he wasn't ready.

"Geoffrey. I'm going to find a pawn shop and break in."

"What for sir?" At least his captain was telling him about the change of plans.

"I need gold findings. A pawnshop would break up jewelry into parts when it is stolen. A little bit taken shouldn't have that much effect on the timeline right?" The Ai refrained from reminding him that it could replicate the gold he needed. This theft should give his captain a needed boost.

Putting words into action, Leonard broke into five different pawnshops. He knew that such bits would be behind counters and hidden from casual inspection from cops. A little bit here, a little bit there. No one would be greatly cheated out of income. Once he was satisfied, he headed back.

He secreted the gold pieces in his desk and worked out some drawings. Not satisfied with anything, he decided to get something to eat. Sara had promised to call.

"So what did you do today?" she asked.

"Nothing much. I'll show you later what I picked up." He wanted to surprise her with the finished piece.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Sir. I'm receiving a distress call from the Waverider."

Leonard was in his room polishing the two blue diamonds. "Who sent it?"

"Gideon."

Dropping the cloth in his hand, he put the diamonds under his pillow and took the steps two at a time to reach the bridge. "Play it."

The screen in the pedestal console was filled with the image of the Waverider's AI. "Mr. Snart. Captain Hunter and the rest of the team attempted to infiltrate a fortress and were captured."

"What fortress? When?"

"Germany 2357."

"What are they doing there?"

"They were trying to destroy a munitions factory."

"Sir. This is a very large jump. You need to immerse yourself in the gel to withstand all the time stresses."

Not wanting to waste any time, Leonard did as he was told. A few hours later, he landed the Iceberg and cloaked it near the Waverider. The two AIs and the thief began to plan.

"Sir. I've analyzed the building that they are in and it is too heavily guarded."

"That's where you're wrong; I've broken into..."

"Let me show you." Geoffrey projected a wire frame model of the command center and red dots were overlaid all around and inside the building. "Each dot represents a sentry. From the outside, I cannot affect their surveillance cameras."

"Why not?"

"All the internal systems are on an internal hard line. There is a wall that cuts off all signals from outside."

Stymied, Leonard raced through a dozen options and discarded each one.

"Sir."

"What?" he snarled. His friends were in trouble and he was the only one who could help them.

"I have an idea but you will have to trust me."

"Trust you? About what exactly?"

"You have to die first."

* * *

 _And on that note, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be soon._

 _(1) from my story The Tip of the Iceberg - Interlude Lisa_


	6. Chapter 6

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter Six**

 _This is my AU version (I'm calling it Earth-7) of the further adventures of Leonard Snart and the Legends. So my version of Earth-7 begins before Nate shows up to warn the Legends and all of Season 2's events. We just saw the return of the cold-hearted bastard Leonard Snart this past week in LoT's "The Fellowship of the Spear" on Earth-1. I intend no copyright infringement; I just want to write in this world. Warning for violence-nothing explicit and a definite warning for language._

 _"Sir. I've analyzed the building that they are in and it is too heavily guarded."_

 _"That's where you're wrong; I've broken into..."_

 _"Let me show you." Geoffrey projected a wire frame model of the command center and red dots were overlaid all around and inside the building. "Each dot represents a sentry. From the outside, I cannot affect their surveillance cameras."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"All the internal systems are routed within. There is a wall that cuts off all signals."_

 _Stymied, Leonard raced through a dozen options and discarded each one._

 _"Sir."_

 _"What?" he snarled. His friends were in trouble and he was the only one who could help them._

 _"I have an idea but you will have to trust me."_

 _"Trust you? About what exactly?"_

 _"You have to die first."_

"How the hell will that help them?" Leonard gestured emphatically at the map.

"Please let me explain."

"Go right ahead." Leonard crossed his arms and braced himself. Even if the AI hadn't said _die_ , he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like this. No prep. No team. No backup.

"We do not have time to insinuate you into the fortress. History shows that in approximately 5 hours, a bomb will destroy it. You must get in, rescue the others, and out before that bomb hits. To do this, you will go into the building as a corpse." The AI highlighted a room on the map. "This is the morgue. As you can see, it's only 80 yards from where the cellblocks begin."

"So how do I get from being a corpse to rescuing them?"

"It will require a minor surgical procedure to insert two implants and some glue."

"Now I know you're fucking with me. Come on!" Leonard was snarling now. His former self would have been focused on saving his own skin. Now, he needed a solution to help his friends that wouldn't get anyone killed.

"I am aware how much you hated that chip in your brain. I will be implanting nothing in your body that will interfere with your thought processes or feelings."

Leonard remembered the anger he'd felt and the determination to make sure anything the Elders placed in him was removed. To allow the AI to implant something else made him very wary. He still had the tracker in his arm but he had agreed to it.

Geoffrey removed the image of the cellblock and replaced with an anatomical figure. "I propose that I insert a small cylinder..." A spot brightened on the image, "here in the pulmonary semilunar valve. This cylinder will then oxygenate your blood in lieu of oxygen being drawn in through the lungs."

"And why are my lungs not working?"

"You will inject a sedative that will suppress your system enough so that it appears you are dead."

"Right. And we just wait for the sedative to wear off?" Visions of waking up while being vivisected came to mind causing him to shudder.

"No. I will implant another device near your heart that will inject you with adrenaline to counteract the effects of the sedative."

"And how does all this work?

"For the adrenaline injector, you will carry in your pocket a small device that I will use to send a signal to trigger both implants to activate. I will also implant a signal device to activate both as a backup. However, I must be within 200 feet to activate it and can cloak and hover if it becomes necessary. It does not have enough power to receive my signal easily."

"And you said glue?"

"Ah yes. You will glue small patches of artificial skin on your wrists and your carotid artery so if they feel for a pulse instead of rely on scan, they will discover no heartbeat."

Leonard had to admit that the last made sense. He would be putting a lot of trust in the AI. But he had no choice. Not if he wanted to rescue Mick, Sara, and the others. Deja vu. "I better not hear any Captain and Tennille," he muttered.

"I'm sorry sir. I don't..."

"Never mind. All right. So let's plan this." Determined to help the others, Leonard could see no other alternative with their short window before the bomb. He was worried that one or more of his friends might be executed. He would bet that some were being tortured.

With the two AIs comparing data, they determined the best reason to get Leonard's body taken into the building immediately. Once Leonard understood the plan, he headed down to the med bay, peeled off his shirt, and lay down on the table.

"I will have to sedate you briefly. Please put on the cuff."

He had thought long and hard weighing the pros and cons of this plan. Clamping down on his panic, Leonard snugged the cuff against his arm and lay down. Opening his eyes, he asked, "What went wrong?"

"Nothing sir. The pieces are implanted and working as planned. If you will take the pads that I mentioned and glue them into place."

The AI illuminated a bin that contained the necessary supplies and the video screen turned into a mirror. The pieces of latex were so thin that they blended against his wrists and neck without any visible edges. Fascinated, he watched as the color changed to match his skin tone. He didn't bother putting his shirt back on; he headed towards the fabrication room where he began to change clothes.

Gideon's voice came through the intercom. "There is a secret compartment in the heel of your right boot. Twist the heel to the right."

Leonard did so and discovered a slot long enough for his lock picks that he quickly secured in place.

"You have several hidden pockets in your jacket along the hem. If you would examine them? They can be used to conceal small items. You might need to give triage to one of your friends. Take the blue packet of pads out of the tray. Captain Hunter will know how to use them."

"And if he's not able to talk?" He examined the pads. Each square was smaller than an alcohol swab.

"Of course. Peel one off and place it over the wounded person's carotid artery. Each pad contains a dose of adrenaline that will get them up so they can help with their escape."

Leonard noticed that there was a strip of pads in a red film. He lifted them out. "What are these for?"

"They contain chitin which will stop blood flow from a wound very quickly. It bonds to the platelets and the edges of the wound."

Securing both sets of pads in the hidden pockets, Leonard put on the jacket. It was a military jacket and it was covered with rows of insignia and medals.

Geoffrey took over the explanation. "The round medal hanging under the ribbons contains a disk. As soon as you find a computer console, affix it where it is not easily spotted. This will give me access to their system and I can assist you with cameras and doors as well as finding Mr. Hunter and his team."

"What about the adrenaline injector in me? If you can't send a signal..."

"I cannot access _their_ computer systems. However, your identification tags connect me to you. They contain a small power source to help receive the signal. I will be able to scan the area around you for other life forms and then trigger the adrenaline when it is optimal to do so." The AI did not add that there was a chance Captain Cold's body would be sent to the crematorium instead. Nor did it mention that they might strip the body in the morgue. That was why it had implanted a small receiver at the same time it had implanted the other devices. "And remember that you have a passive tracking device in your left forearm."

Lifting out the ID badge, he saw a set of dog tags underneath. "Dog tags? When did you say we were?"

"Some things never change Captain Cold."

Narrowing his eyes, he wondered if the AI was trying to yank his chain. He settled the dog tags around his neck and tucked them into his shirt. He shook his shoulders to settle the jacket and picked up the cap that went with the disguise. Time to go. He grabbed the rest of the necessary materials that Geoffrey had determined he might need from another bin as he left the fabrication room.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

The only way to sneak up on the fortress was from the cliff's edge. Leonard was fortunate that there was what looked to be a narrow path seven feet below the level of the ground. It looked like part of the cliff had fallen away at one time. He hoped it wouldn't break off any more while he was on it. Geoffrey assured him that the ground appeared to be strong enough to support him. Leonard had a moment to think that maybe Sara's lessons about swimming in an ocean would come into play sooner than either of them believed and then really wished he hadn't thought that.

Geoffrey was keeping track of his captain's location as he eased around the cliff edge. "You are now at the best point for entry sir."

Leonard was wearing gloves with grapples on the wrists. They dug into the rock and helped him up the wall to right below the cliff's lip. He debated keeping them but they were not a part of his uniform and might endanger the mission. With a moment's regret, he tossed them over the edge into the ocean below. He timed the spotlight and when he was ready, rolled over the edge and scuttled along the road. There was a delivery truck that was due any minute; that was the target.

"Whenever you're ready. Please be aware that the bomb will arrive in 4 hours and 13 minutes."

Taking out his comm and secreting it in one of the hidden pockets, Leonard crouched in the darkness near the loading dock. He watched and waited until he spotted a truck heading his way. Ducking from the spray of headlights, he pulled out a packet of liquid, bit off the tip and squirted it all over his neck and chest. Then he pulled out the grenade and a small ampule. "Here goes nothing," he whispered. Pulling the pin, he tossed it under the truck, threw himself on the ground while covering the back of his head and his neck with both hands. As soon as the fireball lessened, he rolled over onto his back and injected himself. He was out immediately.

Leonard Snart never saw the soldiers emerging from the fortress. One came over when he saw a blood soaked man on the ground near the flaming debris. Calling for a corpsman, he tried to discover where all the blood was coming from. The corpsman slid to his knees next to the fallen man and felt for a pulse. Not finding one immediately, he pulled out a scanner which could discover no life. Recordable brain waves were very faint. Standing, he waved off his partner advising him to get a body bag instead. Because this was an officer, they would take the body to the morgue.

The AI tracked Captain Cold as his body was taken into the fortress. It realized it has not mentioned that the cap would block his brain waves from being registered. It appeared that the plan was working as the gurney bypassed the hallway that led to the incinerator. Gideon had been able to learn the army's procedures for dealing with dead officers. Their bodies were sent home to their families. One other body was brought in at the same time as Captain Cold. A technician was trying to decide if the autopsy could wait until the next person came on shift. Looking up at the clock, he decided to let his relief do the autopsies. The room was cool enough to leave them in their body bags. Besides, there was no room in the coolers. The rebels had been very busy that week.

At last the area around Captain Cold was clear of life signs. Geoffrey activated the adrenaline implant.

Leonard woke with a start in complete darkness. He reached up but something stopped him. For a second he panicked. Had they buried him? No. The surface wasn't hard like a coffin. He was in a body bag. He pulled out the comm and placed it in his ear. "Geoffrey?"

"Yes sir. I detect no life signs around you."

Pulling a small stiletto from his pant's leg, Leonard sliced upwards and emerged from the heavy plastic bag. He prowled around the room until he found a computer. Taking off the disk from behind the medal, he stuck it to the back of the monitor.

"Perfect. Scanning now."

While the AI searched all the camera feeds, Leonard buttoned his jacket up to his neck. His shirt was stiff with dried blood and would cause questions that would delay him.

"Found them. You will need to proceed out this door, turn right. I will set all cameras to a loop for the security office."

Keeping his left shoulder against the wall, Leonard skulked down the hallway gun in hand. It wasn't his Cold Gun but the weight felt good. Geoffrey had had him practicing with a variety of weapons for every era so he wouldn't depend on his own gun only.

"At the end of the hallway, you will see a door. Go through that door. There should be three guards in the room on the other side."

"How do I get in?"

"I am in the system and will unlock it as you get there."

There was no question in his mind. Leonard was going to shoot to kill. His promise to Barry was null and void in this time and place. He had to move fast and this was to save the lives of his only friends. The door slid open and before the seated men could clear their guns, they were all dead on the floor.

"If you go into the security office on your left, you will find the team's weapons."

He wanted to rescue the others immediately but Mick's gun and Ray's suit were too important to leave behind. He opened the door and quickly searched the room. He found Mick's gun but it was in pieces. Ray's suit, on the other hand, was lying under a sensor of some type. "How did they get that off him and shrunken down?" he wondered as he scooped it up and stuffed it in a pocket. Mick would just have to get a new gun. "Where are they?"

"Most of the team is down the corridor which is at your 10:00."

"Who's missing?"

"Mr. Jackson and Ms. Lance."

"Are they still alive?"

"For the moment. They are being interrogated." Leonard clamped down on his fears. The last time he'd felt like this, he'd heard Lewis going after Lisa. Now, as an adult, he used that emotion and turned it into a cold fire.

Taking the time to retrieve the fallen guards' weapons, Leonard moved down the hallway. Geoffrey claimed he could open the cell doors but the prisoners were also chained to the walls in their cells. "Where is Mick?"

"Mr. Rory is in cell 3329."

Leonard went to release his friend first. Mick was slumped down with only the chains keeping him upright. Blood had dripped down from a gash on his head. Using a lock pick from his boot, Leonard released his partner and ducked. Sure enough, Mick came upright swinging.

"It's me!" he shouted and ducked again. "Mick!"

Dropping his guard, Mick saw his partner in front of him. This was either a hallucination or real. He reached out and felt Leonard's arm. Real. Understanding that he was free, Mick realized he hadn't gone crazy with seeing people who weren't there.

Leonard handed Mick his lock pick and a gun. "Go free the others. They're in the cells in this hallway. I've got to find Sara and Jax." He ran back into the corridor. "Geoffrey! Where are they exactly?"

"They are in a room on the floor below.

"Where's the stairs?" Leonard looked up for a sign as he ran.

Both Legends were chained in an X posture against the wall. Neither could move a limb very much. Jax could barely see out of either eye; he'd been beaten and punched more times than he cared to remember. His sock was wet with blood from the wound in his calf. The officer who had been beating him turned from him and approached Sara. Her lip was split and she could feel blood running down her side; she'd been shot when they were captured. The stress of her arms being above her head was making it very hard to breathe. Nyssa had given her a very serious lecture about what it meant for a female assassin who was captured. Sara'd spent long hours back then wondering how she could handle being abused. She flung her chin up defiantly and she spit in the officer's face.

"No, you can't!" Jax shouted. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The office had unfastened his belt and unzipped his pants. Turning away, Jax chose to give her what privacy he could. So he didn't see Leonard enter the room.

No quips. No big speech. No threats. Leonard just placed the barrel against the officer's head and pulled the trigger. He lowered the gun towards the body now on the floor. There was no way he'd survived that bullet; brains were leaking all over the floor and spattered the side of Leonard's face. It didn't matter. Leonard emptied the entire clip into the dead body. He tossed the empty gun next to the body and began to turn towards Sara and Jax.

A side door opened and a seasoned soldier emerged who took in the downed officer with another standing above him. The silver haired man's face was spattered with blood. With a roar, he charged to take the standing man down.

Alerted, Leonard was able to dodge the soldier's rush. He turned to fight and raised both hands into a guard position. The two circled each other testing reflexes by throwing jabs. Leonard determined the soldier's reach, ducked under a punch, and slammed his fist into the man's solar plexus. As the man doubled over, Leonard followed his first blow with an uppercut that snapped the other's head back. The furious thief didn't give him a chance to recover and kept dodging and landing blows.

Jax's attention was diverted from the fight by the arrival of the others. Stein had been able to use their link to find his partner's location. The rest of the team stood in the doorway watching the fight. Mick ignored it and went to release Jax and Sara. Rip was especially surprised at the skillful way Mr. Snart fought his opponent. As far as he could recall, the only real opponent of Mr. Snart's he knew about had been Mr. Rory, and Mr. Snart had lost that bout rather badly. He'd assumed that the thief needed his gun to survive. It was obvious he was wrong. He watched as the soldier fell to the ground and didn't move.

Snart crouched and kept pounding on him until Mick caught his fist as he swung it above his head for another blow. "We gotta go! He's a goner anyways." Mick looked down into the pulped face. His partner still had it in him. All of them stared at Snart and Rory shocked at the extreme violence they'd witnessed the past few minutes.

Ray had picked up Sara. She was barely conscious. Leonard came over and touched her cheek before shoving Ray's suit at him. Ray dithered before realizing he didn't have enough time to get the suit on so he stuck it in his pocket. He hated feeling vulnerable but he had to be smart about everything. Besides, he knew the others couldn't wait. Stein supported Jax and helped him to the doorway.

"Sir. Your window is closing. There is a convoy expected here within the hour and that bomb is on the way. You must get the team and leave." Geoffrey had been monitoring all channels and suppressing alarms.

Tamping down his rage, Leonard rubbed his face smearing the blood spatter. His right hand was beginning to ache. "Where's my exit?" he asked the AI via comm.

"You mean you came in here without a plan?" Stein was indignant. What good would it do them if they were recaptured?

Not even deigning to acknowledge the older man, Leonard went to the room that the soldier had emerged from. A wicked smile grew on his face and he turned to wave Mick over before grabbing a semiautomatic rifle for himself. Now that he had the team, they could blast their way out. No need for subterfuge. He knew someone had to have heard him shooting the soldiers as he came in. Geoffrey couldn't hack a person's hearing.

"Hah!" Guns and lots of them. Mick grabbed two handguns and stuffed them into his waistband. He would start off with the gun that looked like a Browning. He tossed a bandolier over his shoulder for when he would need to reload. Rip stepped up to the rack and selected two pistols for himself.

"Now Mr. Snart. How are we getting out of here exactly?" Rip was worried about Jax and Sara. Firestorm and the assassin could not help them escape. It would be tough getting out; he'd seen the walls as they'd been brought in.

First things first. Leonard pulled the blue and red packets out of his pocket and handed them to Rip. Let him handle it all.

Seizing on the medical supplies, Rip ripped open a red patch and applied it to Mr. Jackson's leg. The blood flow was halted immediately. Realizing that Professor Stein would have to help his other half, Rip decided to use a blue patch too.

Jax felt a surge of energy flow through him and straightened up.

"What you're feeling is temporary," Rip warned and turned to Professor Stein. "He's conscious but I don't think you two should merge. I have no idea how it would affect you both as Firestorm. But it should be easier to help him walk."

Now for Ms. Lance. He didn't want to use the blue adrenaline patch; she'd want to fight. The blood that soaked her shirt told more than she would ever admit. She'd be weak and off balance. The wound in her side was large. It took two of the patches to cover the hole. He felt her back. The bullet was still inside. "Hang in there, Sara." Rip went toward Mr. Snart to see what the plan actually was.

Pulling out another ear comm, Leonard handed it to the other captain. Grateful, Rip spoke, "Gideon. I'm here."

"Yes Captain. Geoffrey, Mr. Snart, and I worked together to plan your escape. He came in through the morgue; I do not suggest you exit that way." _What the hell? The morgue?_ Rip couldn't wait to hear the whole story. "So where do we go?"

"The plan is we go out through the sewer pipes." Looking carefully around the doorframe, Leonard saw the coast was clear. "Mick!" he hissed. "Come with me. Rip, guard our backs." Leonard figured that they could use Mick's heavy artillery to clear a path as needed.

"Right then. You four follow Mr. Snart and Mr. Rory."

Geoffrey guided the team back to the cellblock entrance and then, instead of heading back towards the morgue, they took a left. Gideon piggybacked onto Geoffrey's link and began to seal off the pipe valves on the lower level to drain the water. They had discovered that there was an access panel two stories below where the team currently was. If they could make it, there was a grate that could be removed allowing them access into the sewers. The pipe was large enough for them to get through. It wouldn't be easy since they couldn't stand upright but it could be done.

They reached the stairwell before they heard shouts. Geoffrey still had control of the alarms and video feeds but someone had discovered the guards that Leonard had killed. The search was on. The cloaked Waverider took off and hovered above the fortress. Now that Gideon knew where her team was and where they'd be exiting, it was up to the AI to create a diversion. Two missiles launched from the ship and impacted against the northern tower.

"You need to move faster sir."

"Ya think?" The two thieves led the team down the corridors. Each cleared the hallways they crossed as they passed them. The first bout of trouble came when they turned a corner. A squad had been dispatched as part of the alert.

Leonard and Mick were too experienced to freeze. Mick began to fire and raked the gun back and forth across the room laughing maniacally. For once, Leonard was glad his partner was out of control. Only when the gun was out of ammo could he speak. "We need to go on." Leonard turned to the others who'd come up behind them and they all stepped around the security station in the room's center. Mick didn't even pause as he reloaded on the run. Ray slipped as he walked and groaned as he realized he'd stepped in a puddle of blood.

"Better them than us," Sara whispered.

"You're awake!" Ray's smile was broad.

"It's kinda hard to sleep through all the noise. Put me down!" she ordered.

"I don't think so. You're bleeding pretty badly and we have to..." He fought to hold onto her as the assassin wiggled around. "Fine." He set her down but stayed near. He figured she'd make it a few feet before he would have to help her again. She was very unsteady on her feet.

"Geoffrey says we turn right at the next corridor and pass two hallways and then a left." Leonard wanted everyone to know the way in case he and Mick had to cover their backs.

"What then?" asked Stein. He was breathing pretty heavily. Jax tried to help but he couldn't put any weight on his leg. Even if he wasn't dizzy, the close space in the corridors would be impossible for Firestorm in full flame. He'd fry the others.

"Geoffrey said..." Leonard broke off. "Shit!" He stopped, put his gun down, and reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like a lot of Saran wrap. He flipped the stack open and handed one piece to each of the team. "Geoffrey says they're putting gas through the ventilation system. Peel off the paper on the edges and cover your face with it. Make sure the seal is tight." He showed them how to do it. He picked up his gun to cover them allowing Mick to put his on; he had never used one since Chronos' helmet had protected him from gas attacks.

Rip recognized the full-face membrane. He placed one on Ms. Lance's face and checked that Mr. Palmer's was correctly applied. Professor Stein had watched Mr. Snart and helped Jax after he affixed his own.

"It will take them a few minutes to realize that it's not working. We've got to hurry." Leonard pointed to the door and Mick smashed it open. It was a small room and they were confused about why Leonard had brought them here.

"Stand back." He handed Mick a charge who then placed it on the grate in the floor, and then stepped back into the hallway partially closing the door. A muffled explosion sounded. Opening the door, a gush of smoke poured out but their masks protected them from it as well. Herding everyone inside, Leonard directed everyone to climb in. "Geoffrey says we need to go west towards the coast."

"Which way's west?" shouted Mick.

Following Geoffrey's direction, Leonard pointed the way. "You go first. Mick and I will cover the rear."

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

When they came to the end of the water pipe, there was only air in front and the ocean below. "Now what?" Ray pulled out his suit, enlarged it, and started to put it on.

"Gideon? We're here." said Rip. They could hear Leonard and Mick coming up behind them.

"On my way Captain. I believe you'll have to jump. I cannot extend the ramp far enough for you. I will come as close as I can and you can enter the ship through the top hatch."

They all watched as the Waverider uncloaked and hovered as close as possible to the cliffside.

"How are we going to get Jefferson and Ms. Lance across?" Stein knew that neither could jump that distance wounded.

"I can take them," said Ray now wearing his suit. "Who first?"

Taking charge, Rip decided "Ms. Lance first since she needs more immediate medical attention."

It was harder for Ray to fly without the use of his hand jets but it was really more of just a controlled leap augmented by his thrusters. He touched down and walked toward the port irising open in the top of the ship. He turned as Rip came up beside and quickly clambered down the ladder to catch Sara before Ray went back for Jax. When she was down beside him, Rip settled her against the wall before turning to catch Mr. Jackson and bring him down. Within moments, the younger half of Firestorm was on the ladder and then the ship's deck. Not waiting for the others, Rip scooped up Ms. Lance and went to the med bay where he laid her down on the diagnostic chair. Ray came in behind helping Jax.

Leonard and Mick were last on board and Gideon sealed the hatch and maneuvered away while reengaging the cloaking device. Geoffrey followed and the two ships flew away to find a safe place to land.

"Captain. Ms. Lance's lung has been perforated; she needs surgery now. Please remove her shirt so that I may proceed."

Rip and Dr. Stein looked at each other and then down. Both had handled the medical needs of their team in the past. But neither one of them wanted to follow Geoffrey's order. The decision was taken away from them.

"Go!" Their former teammate snarled at them while shoving them away from where Sara lay.

"But you can't...you shouldn't..." Then Martin realized how asinine this was. Everyone knew that Mr. Snart and Ms. Lance were more than just comrades.

They turned to where Jax was resting on the other chair. While Gideon was working on Sara, the two men ran diagnostic tools over the youngest member of their team.

"It appears the bullet went straight through your calf, Mr. Jackson." Rip was grateful that it wasn't still in his leg. Using a solution from Gideon's stores, he removed the temporary patch he'd placed while in the fortress. Meanwhile, Stein had pulled out sterile bandages and saline solution and began to clean all his partner's wounds. They all listened as Gideon and Mr. Snart worked over Ms. Lance.

Leonard had been reading up on the med bay of his ship. He realized that Gideon's medical suite was not as advanced as Geoffrey's but Sara's wound, while serious, didn't require heroic measures. He watched as the bullet was extracted, the blood in her lung sucked out, and then her stored genetic material laid into the torn flesh closing it up rapidly. Soon, not even a scar remained. Taking another bottle of saline solution, Leonard sponged off the dried blood from her chest and then her face. He was dabbing at the scab on her lip when her eyes opened.

Sara jerked upright as she felt hands touching her but Leonard's voice broke through the panic. "The team's safe on the Waverider. You're all patched up."

She thought she was dreaming but there was Leonard. She touched his hand and knew he was really there. "I'm cold," she whispered and soon felt a blanket being draped across her body. Exhausted, she dropped back to sleep.

On the other side of the room, Jax was arguing with Stein who was expressing his shock about Mr. Snart's violence.

"You don't understand Grey. That soldier was getting ready to rape Sara. What Snart did was, well not right, but ya gotta understand why."

"Professor Stein. While Mr. Snart's violence was excessive, I believe that it is completely understandable. Remember, he saved us all." Rip had seen the worst that one man could do to another. He understood better than anyone else Mr. Snart's reaction.

"Yes, but at what cost to himself?" Stein wasn't just shocked by the act; he was worried that their former teammate would regress to his previous wicked ways. Mr. Snart had redeemed himself at the Vanishing Point for all his prior crimes. His sacrifice wiped clean, in Stein's mind, all the other deaths he'd been responsible for before. Well nothing justified murder. But what he'd just witnessed today, the rage that Mr. Snart allowed to be free scared him for the former thief's sake. What would he do next?

Mick had gone down to the hold to retrieve a replacement Heat Gun. He was in the corridor outside the med bay caressing the pristine barrel when his partner exited.

Leonard ignored Ray who was also waiting and stalked over to Mick. "I need your help."

"What's up, boss?" He stepped forward.

"I need you to set their world on fire."

Rip had come out of the med bay behind Mr. Snart and overheard. "Now hold on, wait a minute. You can't do that!" Rip wasn't sure he could stop either one of them. He would need everyone's help to do that. "You have no idea what changes..."

"Oh, I know." Leonard spat out. "Geoffrey?" he spoke aloud certain that his ship's AI was listening in.

Gideon answered instead. "Mr. Snart is correct. A bomb will destroy this fortress in approximately 2 hours and 16 minutes. All lives will be lost. There will be no change to the timeline."

The thieves had not waited for the AI to finish talking. Mick followed Leonard. He didn't need to know anything else. They exited through the Waverider's hatch.

"Geoffrey? Where are..." Leonard stopped as his ship uncloaked. Turning to Mick, he said, "What bombs do you need to do the maximum amount of damage?" While trying to figure out a way in to rescue his team, Leonard had noted the location of ordinance storage within the fortress. Lucky for him, it wasn't too deep into the compound and was isolated to one side in an effort to keep what Leonard was planning from happening: the compound's complete destruction.

Mick followed Leonard into the forward bay and into candy land. A smile widened on his face as Leonard opened up a case that held incendiary bombs. Another case was opened. "What are those?" Mick couldn't figure out what the thin flexible plastic balls were. Realizing he needed something, Leonard turned and raced up the stairs.

The AI responded. "Those are firebombs. They contain fuel that burns at 1800 degrees when ignited. It has a timer for up to three minutes. You will have to be very careful about the timing to allow yourselves time to escape." Geoffrey had researched Mick Rory as a way of learning about his own captain. Geoffrey was wary that the pyro would be able to keep focus long enough to follow directions. It could tell he wasn't listening to the AI's instructions. "Captain Cold?"

"What!" Leonard had found what he was looking for upstairs, returned to the bay, and put the duffle bag on the floor. He placed five firebombs inside and had a sixth in his hand and stood up. "Mick. **Mick!** Pay attention. This is how you set the fuse." He showed his partner the steps and checked with Geoffrey to make sure he had it correct.

The AI tried again. "Sir. Are you certain this is the best course of action?"

"They deserve to die."

"Yes. But will you both be able to escape the explosions?"

Leonard paused for a second. He remembered having to pull Mick out of the fire when the pyro ignited the wrong thing by accident. His partner still bore the scars from that night. "What is the probability Geoffrey?" Leonard wanted to grind those soldiers into dust and dance on their grave. But he needed to be alive to do it.

"I predict that the probability of success is 71%."

"What's the problem?"

Mick was barely listening; he was imagining fire rising up to the sky and blotting everything else out. Fire always took away his pain.

Geoffrey brought up the wireframe of the fortress on a side screen. "If you go into the magazine to set off the bombs, you have only two ways to exit: the front gate and back down the sewer. If you encounter any guards, that will slow your escape enough that you will be trapped. Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait for the bomb we know is coming? Or…"

"But what if we're the backup for that bomb?"

"I...did not consider that, sir." Geoffrey sent off a short burst message to the Elders to see if there was a chance that the fort would still be standing at dawn. A few seconds later, he replied. "Captain Cold. The Elders agree that you must take steps. The probability of the enemy successfully destroying the fortress is currently 56%. The two armies are in a heated battle seven miles to the south. Air support is needed by both sides and the bombing run that will destroy this place could be halted."

"So we go. How long do we have?"

"Your timeline is down to 1 hour and 28 minutes in case the fighter jet breaks away from the battle for its bombing run."

Consumed with the need for vengeance, Leonard throttled it down. He would not be like Rip and go off half-assed on this mission. He walked over the wall screen with the projected wireframe map. His finger traced the possible routes they'd need to take. He made and discarded plans quickly.

Coming up for air, Mick looked to see what his partner was planning. It had been a long while since he'd been given the opportunity to really let his pyromania free. He knew the thrall fire had for him and, as Chronos, had learned how to rein it in. But here was a whole mess of ordinance just waiting for him to use.

Leonard wanted to smack himself on the head. He was still thinking as if it was an old job. "Geoffrey. Can you hover over the munitions building so we can drop onto it?" He checked his watch. It should still be dark. "They'll be looking for the team in the compound; it would be hard for us to go in on ground level anyways."

"I can drop you with a line. But I am not sure I will be able to hover long enough for you to climb back up."

Plan A was to be pulled back into his ship. What was Plan B? Turning back to the map, it hit him. "Geoffrey. Pull up a map of the fortress and the surrounding coastline. How deep is the coast just off the edge of the cliff?" He expected to use an auto ascender but they might not be able to use it if they came under heavy fire.

"The cliff has been cut away by the waves at that point. Do you mean to jump in?"

"No. I expect you to reel us back into the Iceberg but we might run into a problem."

"I see. Yes, it is deep enough but you could be dashed against the cliff by the waves."

"There is that." Turning to his partner, he explained the plans. Mick had gone to the pool with Leonard and Lisa when they were kids; he knew how to swim. But the ocean, as Leonard has recently learned, was a lot harder.

Mick really wasn't paying any attention to Leonard. He was going to blow a lot of stuff up. The resulting fireball would be...would be awesome. He'd dream about it for weeks he was certain. A small part of him pointed out the danger. He ignored that little voice. He'd been dreaming about that night again. The one that had put him in a home. Flame helped drive that memory far away.

The men put on rappelling harnesses and Leonard tied off the ends of the rope to a winch in the Iceberg's hold. Once the bombs were set, they could use the ascenders to be pulled back into the Iceberg. Leonard left his Cold Gun on a case. It was useless for this job. Instead, he chose a laser cutter the size of a rifle. It would do to cut a hole in the roof.

"Sir. Your timeline is now at 1 hour 4 minutes."

Mick knew more about rappelling so he checked both men's harnesses. He threaded the figure eight ring and carabiners onto the ropes. It would be a quick, controlled drop of about 30 feet. Jabbing his hands together to set his gloves and putting another coil of rope over his shoulder, Mick was ready. He watched as Leonard checked his own rope and snugged down his gloves as well.

"You carry the bag of bombs." Leonard handed over the duffle that Mick attached to another carabiner. "I'll go first to punch a hole in the roof. We're ready Geoffrey."

Still cloaked, the AI brought the Iceberg into a hover 50 feet above the target. Using its altitude jets, it dropped to target height. "Ready sir." It opened the rear hatch.

They would be most vulnerable while in the air so Leonard and then Mick dropped as fast as they could trying not to brake too much. As soon as his boots were on the roof, Leonard pulled the rifle off his shoulder and began to cut a hole. Mick crouched down away from the hole. He reviewed the steps to set the fuses as he waited. When the cut portion of the roof fell in, both knelt to look in. The room below was full of metal barrels. They could see tank missiles stacked in racks and closed cases. But nothing was directly below them.

"How close do these bombs have to be to set off the ordinance?"

Mick had no clue. Over the comms, Geoffrey said that to create the biggest explosion, that bombs would have to be spread around the room.

"Damn!" Leonard needed this done and them dead.

"Lower me down," said Mick.

"What?"

Mick pulled off the coil of rope. "Drop me."

"I'm lighter, I should..."

"You wanted to set their world on fire. I want to set the world on fire. Drop me down."

Guilt reared up. His plan for revenge would put Mick in danger. They had less than an hour to go. Wrapping the rope around his hips, Leonard grabbed sections of the rope in each hand and braced himself.

Dropping quickly, Mick slid down the rope and onto the cement floor of the storage munitions building. Setting the duffle on a table, he went to the nearest door and jammed a piece of metal between it and the frame. No one would be able to come in that way. Grabbing a metal pole. he blocked the rollers on the sliding garage door. Now. Time to burn.

Leonard lay on the roof looking at his partner below. He didn't understand why he was taking the time to block the doors until a spotlight cut the air above him. Looking up, he saw the ropes were still visible as they dangled below his ship. "Geoffrey. You've been spotted. Get out of here. We'll go to Plan B."

"I assume Plan B involves you ending up in the ocean?"

"Maybe. We''ll jump off the edge of the building and hopefully land on you. But if we slide too much, we'll drop over the edge and need you to come down to get us." Turning to look down below, Leonard said, "You better hurry! We've been spotted."

Caressing each bomb, Mick placed them where he believed they would do the most damage. He set each timer to the maximum time of three minutes and came to stand below the hole in the ceiling. "Hold the rope steady!"

Mick outweighed Leonard by many pounds. While Mick had been setting the bombs, Leonard had run the rope around an air conditioning unit to help support the weight. All he had to do was hold on. "Ready!" As Mick's pulled the rope, Leonard slid a little bit. He braced his feet against a pipe and held on. Mick would have to hurry.

Below, Mick felt the tension in the rope and attached the auto climber. It pulled him right up to the edge of the hole. He counted down the seconds in his head. He needed to move faster. A piece of rebar stuck out and he transferred his grip to it.

Feeling the weight leaving the rope, Leonard turned around and dove for Mick. Grabbing him by the back of his jacket, he tugged until his friend was on the roof.

Looking around, Mick asked, "Where's our ride?"

"Gone! We were spotted. You remember watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?"

Mick answered with a confused yes.

"We jump." Leonard pointed towards the side of the building they would have to leap off of.

"We gotta go now. We have ten seconds." Mick's internal clock had been keeping track of time. Shoving himself to his feet, he followed Leonard trusting he had a plan even when he didn't understand it.

Both men built up speed and leaped off the edge into the dark night as the building they were on exploded. Mick wished he could turn around and watch. Then he was hit by flaming debris that set his coat on fire and then he hit the roof of the Iceberg. And kept on sliding right over the edge into thin air.

Leonard had slowed his own roll enough to stop falling off his ship but when Mick went over, he jumped after him. The shock of the frigid ocean water closing over his head stunned Leonard. He turned around trying to spot Mick and as he flailed around, he struck something. Reaching, his fingers closed on fabric, which he tugged behind him as he stroked for the surface. Gasping, he sucked in air before turning to see if Mick was all right. He'd been stunned by the impact but regained consciousness quickly. Both were struggling to stay afloat when a rope dropped between them.

"Drop a little further!" Both men had the auto climbers on their harnesses still. "You first Mick!" Leonard insisted.

Too tired to argue, Mick rose up the rope and into the ship.

Grateful for Sara's lessons, Leonard tried not to swallow too much water. The ocean right next to the cliff was choppy and he kept rising and falling. His ship was a dark blot against the stars and the glare from the explosion. More explosions were going off and pieces of the buildings were falling over the cliff. He had to wait until the rope was clear.

The Iceberg tilted as something hit it from above. Mick stood in the lit hatch and looked down. "Geoffrey! Do you see him?"

"I do not see but my sensors show where Captain Cold is. We must hurry however, as the entire compound will blow in less than 5 minutes."

"Come on!" _Where was he?_ Mick was about ready to tell the AI to descend when a gloved hand grasped the edge of the deck. Mick leaped to help his partner crawl aboard and when both men were out of the way, Geoffrey closed the hatch and ascended.

"Would you care to watch?" At Mick's excited agreement, the AI projected video of the increasing explosions below. Mick stood in front of the small screen and smiled. Glorious.

Trying to catch his breath on the deck, Leonard rolled over and pushed himself to his feet. He didn't care so much about the explosions so long as those who'd hurt his friends were now cinders. He looked over at Mick and started to speak when he really looked at Mick. His partner's coat was missing the left side and his left arm and that side of his face was burned. How he wasn't feeling it, Leonard didn't understand.

"Mick. We gotta get you to the med bay. Now. Geoffrey can record this so you can watch it again."

Coming back to the present, Mick began to feel the pain. His vision blurred and he staggered.

Pulling Mick up by his right arm, Leonard half carried half dragged his partner to the med bay where he manhandled him onto the diagnostic table. "Geoffrey, how bad is it?"

A beam of light scanned Mick Rory's body from head to toe. "The damage is easily repairable sir. It will just take a few hours to regenerate the missing skin tissue. You will need to place the cuff around his right arm so that I may anesthetize him. I will have to burn off the charred skin. Please remove the rest of his jacket and shirt."

Pulling scissors out of a cabinet, Leonard soon had his partner bare from the waist up. He'd had to pull a few pieces of cloth from the burned skin. He watched as the AI began to help his partner heal.

"Sir. As I said, this will take some time. Perhaps you should go change before your core temperature drops any lower. You will be unable to help Mr. Rory if you yourself collapse."

Realizing that he was shaking from the cold, Leonard headed to his room and dry clothes. Once dressed, he called over to the Waverider. Rip answered. "How is she?"

"She's asleep but out of harm's way. Mr. Snart, I'm more concerned about you."

Taken aback, Leonard shifted and rested his hip on the edge of the table in his room. "What do you mean?"

"A Time Agent should never let revenge motivate his actions."

"I'm not a Time Agent. At least not like you."

"No, not like me. But you're in a more advanced ship with more advanced weaponry given to you by beings who brought you back to life. The power you have at your disposal is...immense. You cannot..."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." He actually did get it. It was part and parcel of being a hero. Which he was sort of. "Geoffrey checked with the Elders and they okayed the bombing. They said there was a strong chance that the expected jet would not arrive to destroy the fortress."

"Well, if they knew what you intended and agreed that your mission was within the parameters of your assignment, then of course you had to do so. But you must admit, if they had said no you would have still blown the place to smithereens."

Nodding his head, Leonard had to agree. "Have you moved the Waverider?"

"Yes. I deemed it prudent since you were raining fire down on everyone."

No, just his best friend. "We're coming in then." Cutting off the connection, Leonard spoke to the AI. "Can you land the ship near the Waverider?

"Of course. Heading to their coordinates now."

"How long will Mick be out?"

"I estimate another five hours sir."

"Fine. I'm going to see how Sara is doing.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Sara had felt worse many times before. Being a member of the League of Assassins meant lots of pain. She blinked in the harsh light and realized she was not in the prison cell. Curious, she turned her head. Leonard was slumped down in a chair; he must have brought it from Rip's office. She tested her limbs one by one and slowly sat up.

Leonard had only been dozing and the rustle of cloth brought him upright. Gideon had predicted she would be awake soon. The AI had monitored her healing and the others had left him alone with her.

"How do you feel?" He was worried about not just the physical abuse but also any emotional blowback from the beating she'd received.

"Like crap." She pushed herself upright. "When did you get here?"

"Gideon called and said you all were in trouble.

"You came to our rescue?" She grinned until memory of the last few days began to return. She wrapped her arms around her body.

The lost look in her eyes took his breath away. It was the same look when Lisa realized that their father didn't love them. He'd seen it in her eyes when the two children had been in the emergency room after Lewis had attacked them with a bottle. Then she blinked and the Sara he knew was back.

"What happened to your hand?"

He looked at his right hand and took in the scabs and torn flesh. The ocean had washed all the blood off but the damage was still obvious. "I killed the guard who tried to rape you."

"Thank you. Now I don't have to."

"You can't go back anyways. Mick and I blew the place up." Leonard played with the ring around his finger. He had been lucky. He knew how much Mick needed fire and he'd used that to get what he wanted.

Sara was beginning to understand Leonard. "What went wrong?"

Straightening up in his chair, Leonard tried to act confident. But he could see that Sara knew something was wrong. "Mick got hurt when we went in to blow the whole place up."

"To get even?" That was definitely overkill.

"No. The place was supposed to blow. That's why I had to get you all out the way I did...anyways."

"So how did you get in there Mr. Snart?"

"As a corpse." Turning around to face Rip, Leonard wanted to see how he'd respond. "Geoffrey revived me from a distance."

"Indeed. Why would you do something like that?"

"I told you. That place was supposed to blow up. I didn't have a team or time to plan. Geoffrey came up with the plan and well, you're all out."

"And where is Mr. Rory?"

"Mick's back on the ship. He...got hurt. But he's going to be okay. He's just sleeping it off."

" _He is going to rub the skin off under that ring if he doesn't stop playing with it_ " thought Sara. She understood what was bothering him. He must have taken Mick with him and the pyro had gotten out of control or something had gone wrong. Thank God he hadn't been killed. She knew Leonard would never forgive himself if he'd caused Mick's death.

"Well, Gideon had told me you were awake, Ms. Lance, and I wanted to check up on you. I'll leave you with Mr. Snart. Good night."

"Gideon? Can I go back to my room?"

"Yes. Ms. Lance. Your vitals are all normal and with a good night's sleep and a hot meal, you should be fully recovered."

Sara eased off the bed grateful that Leonard was standing back. He wasn't hovering and she really appreciated that. He understood how she needed to be sure of herself. She took a few steps to test her balance and then headed out of the med bay with Leonard beside her. When they reached her room, he stood back as she entered.

"I'm going to take a shower. My hair feels all sticky." In the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was proud of what she saw in her eyes. She'd been tested and had a rough time but what Nyssa had warned her about hadn't happened thanks to Leonard. Standing under the hot water, she wondered how he had become a corpse. It seemed like a drastic move but he'd done it for them. That cold-hearted bastard that she'd first met had turned into a man who risked everything for his friends. She didn't realize that she had been a big part of his transformation. The Flash had planted the seed but it was her friendship that has caused that seed to grow.

Toweling her hair off, she left the bathroom. Leonard was slumped in a chair waiting. She came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. He lifted his head and leaned back against her. She kissed the top of his head and moved around to the bed. He stood up. "I'm sure you're tired and I need to be there when Mick wakes up. He got burned by debris as we jumped off the cliff."

"Jumped off...you know you're going to have to tell us the whole story of this rescue soon."

He didn't answer. He really didn't want to remember how angry he'd been and how easily he'd killed again. He guessed that he hadn't changed all that much after all. "I'll see you in the morning." He came over and gave her a hug before pulling away.

"You can't think that's all I get." Sara pulled him back to her and gave him a very satisfactory kiss. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

Leonard waited until Sara released him before stepping away. He turned back once he reached the door. "Night."

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Geoffrey told Leonard that Mick would sleep the rest of the night and advised him to do the same. The mere mention of sleep weighted Leonard's arms and legs and the stress of the events from the past twenty-four hours hit him hard. In retrospect, he realized what a dumb ass move he'd made with Mick and resolved to try to set it right in the morning. Dropping his boots, shirt, and jacket on the floor, his head hit the pillow and he was out.

The next morning he found Mick in the galley stuffing his face. Leonard decided on something for himself and sat down at the bar. Silence reigned while both satisfied their hunger.

Remembering last night's resolve, Leonard broke the silence. "I know we don't have heart-to-heart conversations Mick but fists won't work with this."

"Huh?" Mick was confused. When he'd awakened this morning in the med bay, the AI explained how he'd been hurt and then healed. He'd looked at his arms and discovered that even the heavy scarring from before was a lot less. At the ship's recommendation, he'd gone to find food until Snart woke up. "What do we need to talk about?"

"I used you Mick. I knew that the chance to set off such an explosion would appeal to you."

"So? I loved it. Your Elders said it had to go and you had to make sure it did."

Determined to be honest with his partner, Leonard tried to explain. "The Iceberg has missiles. I could have taken off and fired at it from a distance. Instead, I dragged you with me. You were almost killed." It was that last that bothered Leonard the most.

"Snart. You know me best and that I cannot control my need for fire. It's an itch that can't be scratched. What we did last night will satisfy that itch for a while. Your ship recorded it all. I've got a copy and any time that I...need...fire, I can watch it. I understand vengeance too. You needed to take them down face to face and not at a distance. You needed to be able to tell Sara they were dead."

Leonard took off his ring and laid it on the counter. "You know what this means to me. I paid for my choices at the Vanishing Point. But you're paying for my choices too. I..."

"Stop. We're done and even about you marooning me and me being Chronos. You took my place at the Vanishing Point and died. You didn't know you'd be brought back. Would you have taken Haircut's place?"

"Nope." The only people Leonard would put his life on the line for were Lisa and Mick and now, Sara.

"You're the only friend I have, Snart. You're the only one who's ever had my back for real. I was always the one who bailed on you. I thought you left me behind, marooned me, but you didn't. Not really. You planned to come back. You always have a plan. I knew you had one last night."

Leonard was suspicious. Mick had never been this rational. Maybe now was the time to ask. "Why did you stay with the team when I died? You were in it for the score not the saving." _That, apparently, was me_ thought Leonard.

"I tried to go back to thievin'. It just wasn't the same. I even missed your big speeches. You weren't there to make the plans so it was just hit and run scores. Puny takes. I would find someone and bring him in on the job but they weren't good enough. All of them were idiots."

Leonard quirked his lips to hide a smile. Barely a year ago, it was Mick who was the idiot or at least displayed more brawn than brain. "I've told you you've changed. That you seem to think more clearly."

"Yeah. But the others still think I'm dumb. Thick."

"You sure? I thought..."

"Sara trusts me sometimes but she doesn't get me. Haircut. He tried to say we were fated to be partners when you died, but I couldn't take it. He's just like a labrador retriever. Wantin' attention and wanting me to be a hero too. To the others I'm just the muscle."

"That's what you were with me. I was the brains and you the brawn. What's changed that you hate it? What do you really want?"

"Wha...I..Hmm. Nobody ever really asked me that. I wish we'd never joined this team. That we were back in Central City thievin' and having a good time." What Mick couldn't admit was that he wanted to go back far enough before he killed his parents. And stop himself from lighting that fire. But if he'd learned anything from Rip it was that the past couldn't be changed. "But I know we can't go back there. I can't go back to Central City alone. I tried. I miss the rush from thieving' but these people let me set things are fire and beat people up. I don't fit in anywhere. You're the greatest outsider I ever knew but I feel like the outsider here." He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't think about it too much. At least the Waverider makes good beer."

Leonard struggled to find something to say to his partner. "I was an ass and I'm sorry for everything." This was his second apology to a teammate. His actions and choices had affected Mick and Sara in adverse ways. Sara'd forgiven him for pointing a gun at her but Mick was adrift. If he didn't find some kind of anchor, he could explode or leave the team. He put the problem in the back of his head for later.

Mick started to ask how his partner was doing dealing with that Hitler mess when the AI interrupted.

"Sir. Gideon is calling to check on Mr. Rory and to see if he's returning to the ship any time soon."

"What's the rush? We got no missions going on." Mick hated a bum's rush.

"Both ships need to leave this area. There are troops moving towards us and while we are cloaked, we could be discovered by accident."

"That's not all is it Geoffrey?"

"No sir. Now that your friends are safe, the Elders need you to take care of something."

"Now? Is it on the list? I thought we had time to work on those jobs."

"No. It's in regards to a new threat to them. I will explain when we are in the Time Stream."

"Looks like you got your marching orders." Mick stood up and stretched. "Ya know. Your ship fixed the old scar tissue too. I can now bend my arms completely. So if you're feeling guilty about my being hurt, just remember that I'm better than ever now."

Leonard appreciated what Mick tried to do but he still felt guilty about his choices. One more thing on his head in addition to the stealing and the killing that he had done as a thief. Well, those crimes damned him anyways. The fact that Mick didn't blame him for almost killing him bothered him. Why was he being forgiven? He'd have to get a case of whiskey and try to suss it out of Mick sometime soon. His thoughts avoided thinking about Hitler. There was nothing he could do to make up for that.

The two walked to the hatch that stood open.

"Tell the others goodbye for me?"

A jet shrieked by overhead.

"Looks like I better move. Be seeing ya." Mick clapped his partner on the shoulder and walked away.

Once on the Iceberg's bridge, Leonard guided his ship up and into the Time Stream. He'd taken a moment to record a brief message for Sara. Gideon said she was still sleeping.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

 _ **2043 Berlin, Germany**_

Leonard reviewed what he'd been told. The Elders had discovered an aberration and needed someone to check it out. In terms of the Time Line, he was the closest to the event. The crisp air filled his lungs and he trotted towards the building Geoffrey had marked. The problem involved the disappearance of some tech from a lab. In the future, that computer chip would be used in creating the AIs on Time Ships. It had to be recovered before it was stolen. His job was to steal the chip first and secure it.

The security system took a bit of time but with his tools and Geoffrey's assistance, he was able to enter the building undetected. Avoiding the elevator, Leonard took the stairs two at a time until he reached the seventh floor. According to the schematics, the lab was at the end of the hallway. The lab itself had a much more sophisticated keypad; it took him a while to break in. In the meantime, Geoffrey had accessed the security feeds and was playing a recorded loop of an empty hallway.

"I'm in." Leonard whispered. He opened his jacket and pulled out a narrow probe. There was a rack of computer chips on the counter in a case. He had to test each chip with the probe while Geoffrey ran the diagnostic. They'd gone through 17 chips before they found the right one. Leonard pulled it out and replaced it with another one that he'd brought. If the thieves still came, hopefully they'd take the wrong one. He sealed the correct chip into a lucite case and left the lab. He was skulking down the hallway when he heard voices approaching.

"Geoffrey. I thought you said security was doing rounds on another floor right now."

"They are." Even though the AI had kept their security from seeing what was on the monitors didn't mean the AI couldn't use them for its own purposes. It ran the images and discovered that there were two groups of people moving towards the floor where Captain Cold currently was. These people didn't look like in house security. "Sir. You must leave now. You have eight people converging on your position and they are not security." The AI attempted to scan the individuals but had no connections via the building to do so. It turned its systems to the surrounding area and discovered another Time Ship. "Sir. I believe that these people may be connected to the missing Time Agents. You must escape."

"Son of a bitch. Elevator or stairs?"

"If you can make it to the emergency stairwell, you can bypass the two groups. I will turn off the alarm."

Leonard raced towards escape and down the seven flights of stairs. Once in the lobby he paused. "Which way?"

"You have the best chance of escape if you go out of the back entrance. I will bring the Iceberg in."

As he headed towards the back of the building, he pulled out the chip. Spotting a decorative vase next to an arrangement of chairs, he dropped it in. "I put the chip in the vase near my location. In case..." He knew the AI was tracking him and would be able to send someone to get it if he couldn't return for it. He hit the door at a dead run and raced towards the parking lot. He could hear his ship's engines as it approached. He saw the lit opening and increased his speed. Almost there. Movement in his peripheral vision made him turn his head. The figure raised a weapon and fired. Leonard threw himself down to avoid being shot but it wasn't a bullet that he was trying to dodge. Instead, a charge hit the ground in front of him and began spewing a fast acting gas. Realizing that he'd never make it, he told Geoffrey, "Get out of here." He tried to roll over to fire at the figure but his body wouldn't respond. He saw feet approach him.

"Looks like we caught another Time Agent."

Leonard hoped the AI could track him down wherever they took him. That was the last coherent thought he had for a very long time.

Realizing that his captain was captured, the AI closed the hatch and lifted the ship. Time to get help.

 _Thank you for reading this chapter. I really hoped you liked it. If you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts and constructive criticisms._

 _The next chapter will be a while as I have the outline but not the story written down. But it will be a doozy._


	7. Chapter 7

**To Weave a New Pattern - Chapter Six**

 _Warning for strong language and adult situations but not R. Serious whump. This chapter is much longer than the others but I couldn't figure out where to make the break. I hope you enjoy it._

 _I deeply apologize for the extreme delay but there was a death in the family and it was just hard to write. I hope that the wait was worth it for you maricejayo, hockeyfanatic, radpineapple, and Kou Shun'u. Your kind words have meant a lot to me._

* * *

 ** _2043 Berlin, Germany_**

 _As he headed towards the back of the building, he pulled out the chip. Spotting a decorative vase next to an arrangement of chairs, he dropped it in. "I put the chip in the vase near my location. In case..." He knew the AI was tracking him and would be able to send someone to get it if he couldn't return for it. He hit the door at a dead run and raced towards the parking lot. He could hear his ship's engines as it approached. He saw the lit opening and increased his speed. Almost there. Movement in his peripheral vision made him turn his head. The figure raised a weapon and fired. Leonard threw himself down to avoid being shot but it wasn't a bullet that he was trying to dodge. Instead, a charge hit the ground in front of him and began spewing a fast acting gas. Realizing that he'd never make it, he told Geoffrey, "Get out of here." He tried to roll over to fire at the figure but his body wouldn't respond. He saw feet approach him._

 _"Looks like we caught another Time Agent."_

 _Leonard hoped the AI could track him down wherever they took him. That was the last coherent thought he had for a very long time._

 _Realizing that his captain was captured, the AI closed the hatch and lifted the ship. Time to get help._

A young woman wearing a medical lab coat gazed dispassionately down at Leonard Snart who was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. She was one of the team assigned to capture rogue time agents and interrogate them to find the location of the enemy. Eight other agents had been captured but later died after being questioned. She had petitioned her captain to be allowed to try a different method in hopes of keeping one of their targets alive. Upon receiving approval, she immediately implemented her plan. She was using a cocktail of the sedative Amobarbitol, Ritalin to counteract the sedative at need, the paralytic Fentanyl, and Scopolamine which would make him very susceptible to suggestion. He'd been allowed to wake once since being captured. While he had been conscious, she used a form of drug-induced hypnosis to confuse his memories about his recent activities. She had been able to lay the groundwork for her master plan, but he had refused to give her the information they wanted while in that narcotized state. He'd begun to regain full consciousness during their session and she'd had to anesthetize him. She went to a control panel behind the head of his bed and began to adjust the ratio of drugs into her subject before leaving the room momentarily.

Captain Thieb had wanted to bypass her plan and just question him using sodium thiopental as he had the others. She felt it would serve them better if this agent was actually on their side. If this agent could be turned and then assist them with an assault on the Elders, he would be much more useful than as a mindless drone or corpse.

She glanced at her watch. This was the second time she was allowing him to wake, but she felt rushed. However, results were expected quickly or else. Her reputation was on the line to turn this captive and convince him to give them the information that they needed. Of the nine agents they had captured so far, this one was different. He had the same type of ship and the same apparent directive from the Elders to affect key events as her team had tracked him through several eras. But when they performed a body scan, they discovered that he didn't have the brain chip or even a tracking device in his shoulder. Why was he different? Who was he exactly? She looked up as movement in the shadows further down the hall caught her attention. A silver-haired figure walked down the corridor towards her. She straightened to attention.

"We'll turn him." She was confident in the face of her medical coworker Jonas' disapproval about the whole experiment. If given free rein, he was certain **he** could force the prisoner to talk. She added, "This will work!" It had to. Their team was under heavy pressure from the captain because their squadron commander was becoming more and more impatient. The lack of contact from command staff had everyone on edge.

"We have no idea how long we have. His ship might have some other way to track him that we are unaware of. You need to rush this." He had voted against this procedure from the start but their captain had chosen to support Flannagan's plan. For now.

To cover up her nervousness, she reiterated. "I'll be using the drugs to confuse his sense of time. Making him believe days are passing instead of hours. I'm overlaying his recent memories with false ones but it takes time for them to set." She knew her subject had been in several eras since they had first spotted him. She had added in a series of events to convince him that his employers were highly dangerous; something had prevented Dr. Flannagan from erasing his memories completely, however. When questioned under hypnosis, he kept going back to his original story about why he'd been in Germany. But with the trail of false memories that she had added, she should be able to convince him that the Elders had betrayed him which would make him change his allegiance. She hadn't told her superiors about his resistance to suggestion and was relying on the drugs to interfere with the memories she could not erase. Flannagan didn't mention to anyone the failsafe she'd surgically implanted in her subject's brain.

"Do it faster." Jonas turned and strode away vigorously.

When he regained consciousness, Leonard was drowsy but quickly became aware that he was unable to move. He could feel, however, that he was lying on a soft surface. The relief he felt at that made him wonder why the thought of a hard surface made him so nervous. He opened his eyes but shut them again immediately. Light stabbed his eyes and right into his skull. He tried to remember the last thing that had happened to him but it was like wading through mud. He couldn't find any memory that felt recent. He went back further to determine where the block began. Leonard easily remembered joining Rip's team, traveling through time, and finally facing off against the Time Masters. It was everything after that which was a mishmash of images and impressions. One image that threaded all his memories was that of Sara Lance. A flash of her hair on his chest startled him. How had that happened? And when? Or was that just a fantasy? He tried to relax to allow the memories to return but was interrupted before he could sift through the mishmash of memories.

A door opened somewhere off to his left; he tried to turn his head, but his muscles still refused to obey him. _Who was it?_ he wondered.

A woman's voice spoke before she came into view. "How are you doing today?"

It wasn't Sara or Lisa. Wary, he stayed silent as the voice's owner stepped into view. It appeared to be a doctor but when had he been hurt? He decided to wait and see what he learned. Most would disagree, but Leonard did know how to stay quiet when he felt the need.

"You will have to talk to us sometime. It's been over two weeks." She titled her head to one side with curiosity as she waited for a response.

Understanding that she wouldn't give any answers easily, he focused on making his body obey his commands. Nothing responded; he gave up for the moment. "Two weeks since what?" Leonard was surprised at the hoarseness of his voice.

"Two weeks since we rescued you from the ruins of your ship. You've been sedated while we healed your body. You had a concussion, numerous broken bones, and over 78% of your body was charred from the fire."

He wanted to disbelieve her but the weakness he felt was very convincing. He kept trying to make his limbs move but it was futile.

"So, again, how are you feeling?" She tried, unsuccessful, to give a convincing smile. It had too much of a predatory gleam in it for him to trust her one iota.

Silently he celebrated; he was able to make his right hand move and turned his energy towards lifting that arm.

"Peachy." Leonard fell back on his favorite answer. Struggling to raise his arm, it obeyed at last but barely rose from the bed. "Why can't I move?" he ground out.

"We sedated you to allow the new skin to bond with your flesh. You are still recovering from the shock to your body." The woman stopped talking and started tapping her fingers against the clipboard. He shouldn't be able to move at all. She went to the wall behind his head and fiddled with the medication panel. "It would be helpful if we knew your name."

He was a natural liar but with the wooziness thought better about using an alias he might not be able to keep straight. "Leonard." He chose to not give his last name since it would make it easier for them to do a search on him. They might find Lisa if they did. He'd die to keep her safe.

"Just that?" she smiled. "Surely you have a last name. I am Dr. Flannagan." She waited before finally realizing that he wasn't going to supply his last name. She adjusted the ratio of drugs before stepping back into his line of sight. She hoped that more Scopolamine would soften his resolve. Now to shock him. "You need to know what happened. I am so sorry to have to tell you that your friends are dead. The ones on the other time ship."

"What other time ship?" Leonard didn't know what these people knew about Rip and the rest of the team. Why did she seem to think there were two ships? They'd left Chronos' ship behind. _Why couldn't he remember what had happened?_

"We don't know the ship's name since it came down as a fireball. There were no possible survivors. Your ship had no power but we were able to slow your descent with our tractor beam so it was a controlled crash. Then we rescued you from the wreckage." She paused for effect. "You barely survived." She was guessing about there being another time ship with him. All the other agents had been working alone. But when they'd tracked Leonard down earlier in Florida, they had discovered another ship's time trace. They could not determine if the time ship was there at the same time he had been so she was risking a lot with her supposition.

The question of "my ship" was shunted aside. Mick gone? A hole opened up inside Leonard which threatened to swallow him whole. "You're sure? That they died?" At the doctor's affirmative he said, "Go away. I need to..." _to think and remember._ He thought about all the years between him and Mick. The good and the bad. How they'd betrayed each other. But he got a sense that they'd been working on rebuilding their friendship. His thoughts circled back to Sara. His memories of her were jumbled up. He remembered staring at her ass when they first boarded the Waverider and then later developing a rapport when they rescued Mick and Haircut from the gulag. He saw himself pull his Cold Gun on her and threaten her. When did he do that? And why? Ah, it came back. The others had been captured by the Time Masters and he wanted to run. They had been at...it came back- the Vanishing Point. At the Oculus, she'd kissed him. Oculus. Why did that word make him shiver? He dug deeper. _*Sara in the ocean splashing him and laughing*_ When had that happened? Had he lost her just when he'd started to know her. He was not a man driven to despair but he teetered on the edge. The clock ticked on as he struggled to organize his thoughts until oblivion came through the IV.

The pattern of letting him wake briefly, inform him of false facts, and putting him to sleep continued for eleven more times. Flannagan allowed him to be unconscious approximately 60 minutes at a time. Each time he woke up, Dr. Flannagan worked to convince Leonard that he was truly alone and that he'd been betrayed by those he knew as the Elders. She increased the dosage of Scopolamine to help her reinforce the facts she was attempting to insert into his reality. Finally, it was time to see if her experiment worked. She cut off the Fentanyl from his cocktail of medication and waited. It had only been eighteen hours since he'd been captured. Dr. Flannagan stepped outside the room and into another where she changed clothes again and put her hair up in a bun to keep up the appearance that it was a different day and returned to Leonard's bedside. A quick adjustment of the medication and her subject regained consciousness again.

The next time Leonard woke up, he was able to move his body. His mind felt clearer than it had for a while.

"You've healed enough," Dr. Flannagan said as she entered the room followed by an orderly. The orderly, who carried himself more like a soldier, placed the tray he carried on a table and went to stand in the corner. The doctor pushed the bedside table over Leonard's bed so he could reach it. "Do you need some help? You need to eat something to build up your strength." Waving off any help, Leonard felt stronger by the moment and was able to push himself upright in bed. He lifted off the plate's cover and saw what looked like eggs. He poked at them before picking some up with his fork and eating it. It wasn't awful but they had no taste. As he swallowed, he surveyed the room with his head finally clear. There wasn't any background noise from an engine so they had to be in a building. Even grounded, the ships hummed with a vibration that was felt in the bones.

Dr. Flannagan pulled up a chair next to the bed and drew his attention to her. "We need to know more about those who recruited you. I believe you called them the Elders."

He put down the fork because his hunger was gone. That name echoed inside. _But why?_ He had a vague impression of them saving him but from what?

"We believe that our enemy is the same as yours." Dr. Flannagan tried to regain his attention.

"I've got a long list. Who is my enemy exactly?" Leonard pushed the table away.

"No more?" At his affirmative, she moved the table away against the wall. While she was out of his line of sight, she activated the timer on the IV. "You see; we've learned that these Elders as you call them are not benign. No. They are a scourge on the universe. Our enemy. They're yours too."

He narrowed his eyes. _What were these people getting at?_ "Why do you think that?" His thoughts raced frantically. He _knew_ the Elders but what did he know about them? His body jerked.

"What's wrong?" Flannagan didn't think he was having a reaction to the drugs.

"Nothing," Leonard muttered. He'd just remembered having his hand inside the Oculus allowing it to blow up. He had died. And the Elders had saved him.

"We've been tracking the Elders up and down the timeline. They have no right to go through time changing events to suit their purposes. They cannot be allowed to continue their nefarious criminal acts." Her voice had risen as she spoke and she had to struggle to regain mastery of herself.

Leonard was struggling to understand. He didn't connect the Elders with the word _criminal_. The only criminal that he knew was him and Mick. The woman's voice was starting to mash words together and his lids grew heavy. He was unconscious once again.

Needing sleep herself, Flannigan lay down for five hours; she knew she'd need to keep her wits about her with this man.

"Good morning." Her chipper greeting grated on his nerves. Memory of their recent conversation came back quickly this time. If his friends really were dead, there was nothing good about it at all. "I hope we can talk more about our enemy, those who call themselves _The Elders_."

Leonard was still groggy. He tried to push himself up higher in the bed. The doctor stepped forward and helped him. Shaking his head to dispel the remaining fog, Leonard tried to focus on what she was saying about the Elders and what he knew of them. Why were these people so determined to learn about them? Flashes came back associated with that name. Memories hit him faster and faster. He remembered intense pain before dying at the Oculus. Being brought back to life. Being given the choice to be an agent for the Elders. Being able to truly make peace with Mick. Being with Sara. His determination to not see Lisa and risk her losing him again. Missions to places like London. North Smolensk. Berlin. The flashes of memory grew in number and overwhelmed him. A lesser man might have been overwhelmed; Leonard rode the wave out until it subsided leaving him with a better understanding of recent events. He searched for the most recent memory and came up with rescuing the team from a fortress. There was a huge explosion. Had it been the Iceberg? His memories had hit a wall that he could not go through. Leonard Snart was a stubborn man or he'd never have survived his childhood or all the time spent in juvie. Unknown to him, his more recent memories were now jumbled up with what Flannagan had implanted. Hazy images came to mind. He saw the flames surrounding him on the Iceberg's bridge. Rip's voice came through the comms and in the background he heard the others' voices raised in panic. Then all sound cut off and the last thing he knew was flames everywhere around him and he was on fire.

Breaking through the memory of heat and pain, Flanagan spoke up, "I hope you come to see how we can help each other. Our objective needs to be the same. To protect people from being interfered with."

Her words struck a chord. He knew how he felt about being manipulated. His memories were incomplete and he never worked without complete data. Freeport had taught him to not go off half-cocked. Rip Hunter's plans were always off the cuff and that's where he never saw eye to eye with the Time Master. Time Master. That name opened a new doorway into his memories. The sense he felt about the Elders told him they had been high-handed with their dealings with him. But. He didn't feel loathing towards them. Not like his feelings about Druce and the Time Bastards. So the Elders didn't have his complete hatred. He dug deeper. "Give me a minute," he demanded. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose with his right hand. It hurt. Not his nose but his hand. He pulled it back to examine it. The knuckles were bruised and scabs covered them. He thought, " _They did say I was burned._ " But that wasn't right. He remembered how Mick's burns had looked. They had been raw flesh before the healing skin formed shiny ridges not scabs. Why did he have scabs like these? And their technology should have bypassed the scarring. His eyes narrowed as he tried to remember. * _a guard on the ground below Leonard with his face beaten to a pulp_ * That seemed real. But when? He turned to the doctor who was waiting not so patiently. "How badly did you say I was burned?"

"78%. Only your head and the left side of your body wasn't burned."

Left side. So why did his right hand have scabs? He shoved the thought away for the moment. "What do you think I can do? And who are you people?"

"Like you, we were taken out of our time and trained to police the timeline."

His frustration at his own confusion was getting the better of his self-control. "Just say what you're trying to say. I don't do subtle."

Dr. Flannagan could see she was losing control of the situation. Needing to keep her subject calm, she hastened to add, "My mentor, Declan, was an honorable man who worked in concert with a group who rebelled against the Elders and their insistence that time had to flow as intended."

 _Where had he heard that name before?_ "Why can't your mentor help you?" He stalled for time.

"We believe he is dead. We lost all contact with him and his people; our computer systems can no longer access the timeline database. We sent a team to check and all they found was ruins of their citadel. We found no survivors."

"Ruins?" Leonard had an ugly feeling about what she was going to say next.

"Yes. Our corps was established to combat the Elders and their agents. But we...I knew that if we could talk to one of you, we could show you how wrong these Elders are. How badly they're destroying the timeline."

 _He had it._ The ruins she was talking about were those at the Vanishing Point. Declan was the bastard who had tortured Mick to turn him into Chronos. Leonard clamped down on his reaction with iron control. These people who had him worked for the Time Bastards. The ones who had made his and Lisa's life hell. The ones he'd personally taken down. He realized that if they knew he'd been the one to blow up the Oculus, they'd make him pay dearly. He was in the hands of his enemies not friends. "This is a lot to take in. I don't know how much I can help you. I only saw the Elders once. I'll try to remember but it's really hard for me to think. I need time. Maybe getting up and moving or a shower will help."

Eager to speed this along, Dr. Flannagan was certain her plan was working. Leonard seemed to accept what she'd told him. She stood up and removed the monitoring cuff with IV.

His thinking really had been messed up; he hadn't realized that he had been wearing the cuff the entire time he'd been awake. Now Leonard understood why he was having so much trouble putting two thoughts together. He slid off the bed and tested his balance. "Where are my clothes?"

"Yours were charred remember? We had duplicates made based on what you were wearing." She handed over a folded stack of clothes that were brand new. "I'll be back in 30 minutes to check on you."

"Fine." he replied. Taking the pile of clothes, he realized that he'd find no hidden tools within. Everything was gone. Leonard entered the bathroom and shut the door. He had no idea if there was a camera in there so he had to keep up the pretense that he was cooperating. He flexed his right hand as his memory returned completely. The scabs were from when he'd beaten the guard to death who tried to rape Sara. He touched his wrists as he flexed his hands. He remembered peeling off the patches that he'd glued on while he was piloting the ship to 2043 Berlin. A gummy residue was still on each wrist and, feeing his throat, also on his neck. The residue would have been burned off if his skin had been charred. He stripped off his shirt and saw the final proof that she was lying. He'd not been in a crash that burned his skin because a lifetime of scars was still there. He hoped she was lying about the Waverider crashing too. He stepped under the hot water and pressed deep into his forearm to activate the tracker. Geoffrey had promised that it would remain passive and invisible to scan until activated. Leonard had been able to tell that the AI did not like the fact that he'd insisted on it being inactive until he needed it. Now, he needed it. He hoped Geoffrey could track him down quickly. His resistance about the tracker might be what got him killed.

Drying off, he dressed quickly and went into the room. He tried the door and sure enough, it was locked. He wandered around the room darting his eyes around trying to spot anything he could use as a lock-pick. When he reached the bed, he ran his fingers along the tubing and wiring. He examined the IV. The needle had retracted into the cuff but the power lead was a thick wire. He yanked it out of the wall, stripped the plastic casing off it which gave him a 5-inch length to work with. The electronic lock was easy for a thief of his skills. Twelve seconds later and he was free.

Silently he eased the door open and looked both ways. He had no idea where he was or even when. His room was full of advanced technology but that could have been brought to whenever he was. How to get out of there? He made a guess and turned right. Leonard had made it about 20 feet down the hallway before three men blocked his path. Turning quickly, he saw Dr. Flannagan and two men behind him.

"Where are you going? You're still too weak to be out of bed much less running around out here." She'd been alerted to his escape by the security cameras. Holding out her hands in entreaty, she continued. "Don't you want to help us?" The doctor had one last chance to stop him before her career was in shreds. "We want to help you. You're all alone now."

"No. You. Are. A. Liar." Leonard flexed his fingers before clenching them into a fist. "I wasn't in any crash. And I'll bet neither were my friends."

"How could you...?" Stunned, she wondered how he'd figured it out. The drugs still in his system should have prevented him from regaining his memory. She had no way of knowing the alterations the Elders had made to Leonard Snart. And neither did he.

"Because I'm a liar. If you're going to lie, you better have all your supporting facts in place." He braced himself to fight but he didn't have a chance. A dart with a paralytic hit him in the side of his neck and he dropped to the floor face down. Sprawled on the floor, he was unable to move anything but his eyes. A pair of boots stepped into his peripheral vision.

"Did you really think you could escape that easily?" The masculine voice sounded amused.

Leonard tried to push himself up but his muscles refused to respond. He was helpless. This was getting fucking old. He snarled impotently.

The first kick connected with his ribs. Boots came down on his back, his arm, his hands. He wanted to curl into a ball to protect his body but nothing worked. The beating he'd received from Mick had been a cakewalk compared to this. Darkness took him when a kick to the head connected. He didn't know that a blow to his arm had turned off the tracking signal.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

"I don't understand what went wrong." Dr. Flannagan was upset. Not only did she fail but she was sure to be demoted at least a level in rank.

"Your plan failed Flannagan. Now it's my turn." Jonas motioned to the others to pick up the recaptured agent. "Take him to my lab." The two scientists followed. Once the group reached Jonas' lab, they dropped their prisoner onto the table and buckled restraints around his ankles and wrists. Grabbing a pair of scissors, Jonas sliced Leonard's shirt up the middle and leads were attached at various points. His method would involve electrical stimuli to convince this man to give them what they demanded. The leads ran from the subject's torso over into a pedestal next to the table. Lights flickered on the board as Jonas powered it up. Additional wires were placed on the subject's head to monitor his brain waves.

Standing next to the table as Jonas prepared the subject, Flannagan was furious. She slapped her hand down onto the table's surface. "So that's how he knew," she muttered. She should have handled everything instead of having an assistant prepare her subject. If she had, she would have seen the scars on his body which disproved her explanation about replacing his skin. His memory hadn't returned; he'd just been able to figure out it was a lie. Her drug protocols had worked after all. She'd petition to use her methods on their next prisoner. She had video recordings of the entire procedure to support her claim that it would work with someone without such visible reminders of the past.

This time when Leonard woke up, he was on a hard metal table. A bright light shone directly into his eyes. His body throbbed abominably with the worst pain centered in his hands; he was unable to move again. _What the hell?_ A figure moved into his line of sight. This time it was a man who stood above him looking down dispassionately as though Leonard was something in a petri dish.

"Who are you? You don't have a chip in your head nor do you have a tagger. You are not like the other agents we have taken. We tried to earn your cooperation but you refused. Who are the Elders? How did they choose you as their agent? What is their mission? Why did they destroy the Vanishing Point?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leonard refused to give them anything. He remembered what Geoffrey had said about the missing agents. Looks like he'd discovered who'd taken them. His only hope was that Geoffrey got the team to rescue him.

Looking at a monitor, the tech shook his head. He turned the monitor to face Jonas and the man on the table. He hit a button and they could all see a replay of the past few minutes' brain scan. They didn't have a baseline for real truth detection but they could still tell that he knew something about what he was being questioned about.

Jonas looked down at the restrained man. "Your words tell us one thing but your brain shows that you recognize what I am referring to." They watched as colors grew, changed, and moved over the image of Leonard's brain. "You know answers. You will tell us everything you know about them now!"

Leonard had become a warmer person over the last few months. Now, his voice was frigid with disdain. "No. I don't think so." While the Elders weren't _his_ crew, he was a part of theirs and they'd given him back his life.

At the control panel, Jonas decided on his course of action. Looking like a pianist, Jonas dropped his hands down and touched various controls. He began to speak. "While I am not actually drawing and quartering you, your body thinks I am. I'm rather fond of that medieval method of execution." He continued to touch controls to increase one sensation while adjusting another one.

There was a lot of down time when one was a master thief; one needed to lay low after a big heist. Leonard and Mick had whiled away a lot of hours watching movies. Braveheart came to mind right now. Leonard's excellent memory threw up the imagery of William Wallace having his abdomen sliced open and guts pulled out. He knew he wasn't really dying but the pain was excruciating. With the same detachment he'd built when Lewis had beaten him during his childhood, Leonard _left_. One quality Leonard has always possessed was stubbornness. He was determined that he would not give in and give this bastard the satisfaction of acknowledging his pain. With years of experience, he locked his mind away from what was happening to his body. He drew his thoughts inward and focused on one thing: revenge. Now he understood Mick's single-minded quest as Chronos as he never had before. Leonard planned all the ways he would get even with Jonas and Flannagan and all the rest of them. What he'd done to Druce would be a pittance.

Time seemed to stand still as the pain continued. Leonard's resolve finally broke; his throat grew raw from his screams. Only the bonds on his wrists and ankles kept him on the table. The electrical stimulus flowed through him again and again causing his body to jerk. Unable to hide in his mind, Leonard refocused his rage. One way or another, he'd make these people pay for this. A small part acknowledged that the revenge might have to come from Mick or Sara since he'd be dead. Plans swirled around inside his head until his body surrendered.

"Sir. His heart rate is dangerously high. Do you plan to kill him at this time?" A tech stood to one side; his sole job was to monitor their subject's vitals.

Sighing, Jonas dialed back the intensity of the signals going through the wires.

Jonas stared down at the still form lying on the slab. A thin line of blood had run down his cheek from his bitten lip. His heart beat had stuttered several times and only the intervention of the tech had kept Jonas from pushing the punishment too far. If he wasn't so frustrated, he'd admire the fortitude of this man. The other captured agents had given them some information. He'd hoped that this agent would provide event more. Foremost was his desire to know if the Elders had gone so far as to attack the Vanishing Point thus destroying their commanders. Or was there another enemy still unknown and would that enemy attack them? Little did he realize that his actions would have such serious repercussions. Captain Thieb would not be happy with his failure either.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Pain woke Leonard to the realization that he was lying on some frigid surface which had sucked the heat from his body. He tried to shift upright and agony flared up. Oblivion took him. Waking a second time, he stayed still. The air smelled damp and musty; what little light there was came from the dim bulb suspended from the ceiling. Evaluating himself, he determined the worst pain was in his lower back and his hands. Phantom pain from the electronic stimulus still echoed within his chest and abdomen. He tried to push himself upright but a sheet of white filled his vision and he was unconscious once again. Third time's the charm he thought sarcastically when he regained consciousness again. Leonard rolled to one side slowly. He waited to see if the nausea would subside. When it did, he moved slowly stopping ever few inches to prevent himself from blacking out again. He tried to brace himself with his left hand; the pain caused him to slid back down onto the floor. He lifted his hands to see what was wrong. The sour taste of bile flooded his mouth as he saw the damage they had done. He wouldn't be able to pick the lock a second time; he was trapped here. His only hope now was that Geoffrey would be able to find him using his activated tracker. Maybe he hadn't pushed it right. Using his chin, he pushed against the spot and held pressure for several seconds. The signal went out again. He inched over on his side until he could rest against the cell's wall, panting from the effort it had taken. His mind chose and discarded solutions. There was no way he would give in. He put his faith in his team that they would come to rescue him; he would not consciously betray anyone. He was glad he'd not given in and seen Lisa. He thought about his life, his choices bad and good, until he had to give in to the pain once again and fell into darkness.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Sir?"

Glancing over, Jonas nodded to the soldier who had knocked at the door. "A moment." Jonas went to a glass fridge, opened the doors, and pulled out a tray of ampoules. Selecting a syringe, he drew some liquid from a vial. It was time to try another method of interrogation. He led the soldier to the cell where the prisoner was and, using his key card, opened it. He gestured for the soldier to pick up the unconscious prisoner and secure him in the restraints that hung down from the ceiling.

Pressure on his arms brought Leonard to consciousness. He lifted his head to discover that he was chained to the ceiling.

"Let's pick up where we left off." His tormentor stood in front of him with a smile on his face.

Leonard lifted his chin defiantly and gave back a smirk of his own. "You're wasting your time. I can't give you what you want."

"Can't or won't?" Jonas turned away and took a small case off the table. Opening it, he revealed a syringe that he held up to the light. "This is TRPM3 which is mixed with artificial hormones and Benzodiazepine which will short circuit your brain's ion channels. It will fill you with a need to move which as you can see, you are unable to do so. You will probably have hallucinations; I wonder what you will see." Jonas hoped it would be the Elders since his questioning would bring them to the forefront of his prisoner's mind. The cameras would record everything. "The pain you feel will be heavily intensified and augmented by a factor of 10. If you thought you were in pain earlier, it's about to get worse." He nodded to the soldier who went to stand behind Leonard and grabbed his right arm with both of his hands to keep it still.

Leonard struggled as the needle approached his arm but to no avail as Jonas injected him. Stepping back, the scientist nodded to the soldier to release the prisoner's arm and watched as the drug began to take effect. Satisfied, his eyes glittered with malice as he ordered his soldier to administer the beating. Blows struck Leonard's stomach, ribs, kidneys. The soldier avoided striking him in the head as ordered. The drug had invaded Leonard's circulatory system and the pain from each blow was multiplied. Sparks filled his vision and he writhed to try to avoid more punishment.

"Stop." Jonas cocked his head to one side. "You ready to give us what we need?"

Swallowing heavily, Leonard looked his tormentor in the eyes. "Nope."

Jonas was frustrated at this man's insouciance. _How dare he thwart him?_ He had to obtain the information or his career would suffer as much as Flannagan's. Angered beyond self-control, he punched his victim in the temple and watched as he sagged against the chains. Turning on his heel, he spoke, "With me," to the accompanying soldier. Waving his hand against the wall panel, the room darkened.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Wake up Leonard!" His body shivering from the cold, Leonard opened his eyes to discover Mick standing in front of him. Leonard put more weight on his feet instead of the manacles. "Unlock these things!" he ordered his partner as he shook his bonds.

"Why?" Mick's face was stoic.

Twisting around to look at his ruined hands, Leonard said, "Because I can't do it myself. C'mon! Help me!" Sweat dripped into his eyes and he was startled to feel his body shaking.

"Shall I burn your hands off then?" Mick pulled out his gun and rested it against his shoulder.

"Wait. What? No! Why would you..?" Drugs were confusing his thoughts once again.

"Because you left me behind. You abandoned me Leonard." Mick stepped closer and Leonard could now see that he was wearing Chronos' armor once again. Wait a minute. Mick wasn't Chronos...a memory of Mick as Chronos coming towards him with his rifle popped into mind and vanished into the fog that filled his thoughts. He struggled to remember more recent events. The memory he was searching for snapped into focus when he remembered Mick taking off his helmet and crushing Declan's head under his foot. So why was he calling him Leonard? Mick had not called him by his first name since they were kids. Right?

Confused, Leonard drew back as far as the chains allowed. _What was happening?_ Mick stepped closer. But now he wasn't wearing the armor. He stuck his face into Leonard's.

"You knocked me out. Marooned me. Then left me alone with the team. But they're your team and not mine." He turned his back on his partner and vanished into thin air.

"What the hell is going on here?" Leonard ranted to the empty room.

Watching behind a mirrored wall, Jonas and Flannagan observed. Their subject was hallucinating due to drugs and the infection from his untreated wounds. Jonas had begun the "conversation" between Leonard and whoever he was seeing. It appeared that he knew it was a vision and not real. Flannagan's turn.

"Leonard, why are you fighting so hard? Why do you choose those Elders over us?" Sara stepped into the dim light. _"This isn't right,"_ he thought. Sara was still in his life because of the Elders. He jerked and focused on the thought. Where did that thought come from? He focused inward as images and feelings flashed through his memory. Ending up in Oliver's lair. Explaining to the team on the Waverider what had happened to him. Faster and faster his memories returned until he was in Berlin and was captured. "You're not real," he spat at Sara.

In a small room filled with monitors, Flannagan covered the microphone with her hand and turned toward Jonas. "How much of the drug did you give him?"

"Enough. He shouldn't be able to see through the hallucinations."

Neither Leonard or his captors realized that the Elders had altered his metabolism slightly. His body was able to metabolize anything foreign such as drugs much faster than normal. They had made the decision for the alteration due the discovery of various drugs in the corpses of their other agents. But his body was beginning to fail. The beatings and infection were beginning to take a heavy toll.

When the prisoner lost consciousness, Jonas had to wait to implement his next round of interrogation.

 ** _Back on the Iceberg_**

Geoffrey's sensors registered his captain being shot down and captured during his mission. The AI tracked the group as they went to a truck and placed his captain's body within. Extending his sensors, he traced the vehicle's route until it ended up at a warehouse. Hoping this was the final destination, it waited. If an AI could hope, this one did. However, it was disappointed. The next signal recorded was the trace of a time ship lifting up and entering the Temporal Zone taking his captain he knew not where.

The Iceberg lifted off and the AI sent off a message to the Elders. "Captain Cold has been captured. I believe that it is the group who have captured the missing time agents."

"How can you be sure?"

"I believe the anomaly was staged so that you would send a time agent. There were people waiting to ambush him."

"Are you able to track his current whereabouts?"

"Not at this time. The tracker is inactive. I believe that he will activate it as soon as he is able."

"And if he is not able?"

The AI was silent. He'd come to learn how resourceful his captain was. Certainly the man would find a way to activate it. "I believe in his abilities. I request permission to contact the crew of the Waverider. Once I am able to locate my captain, I will need help rescuing him."

"Permission granted. It is our hope that Leonard Snart will be the first time agent to not die at the hands of this shadow group."

Mick was in the galley when he heard running feet. Jax came barreling around the corner, "You've got to come to the bridge!" he gasped. Not waiting for Mick, he spun around and headed back. Mick followed a lot more slowly cramming as much of his sandwich as he could into his mouth. He was the last to enter the bridge and looked around at the others to get a clue about what was going on. Sara was standing with her arms hugging each other, an elbow cradled in each hand.

Rip and Sara had been in his office talking when Gideon broadcast the SOS from the Iceberg. Turning to the team, Rip said, "Geoffrey, everyone is here. Give us everything that you can."

"Approximately four hours ago Captain Cold was captured by a shadow group and has vanished."

Professor Stein broke through the clamoring voices. "You said shadow group. Why do you call them that?"

"Captain Cold is not the only time agent working for the Elders. To date, seven agents have gone missing. The Elders have been unable to determine who took them."

"Did Mr. Snart know about them?" Rip spoke up.

"Captain Cold knew that agents had vanished. I told him so he would stop turning off his comm on missions."

Mick smiled for a moment. Trust that Snart refused to follow the party line. Then worry took over. "Is that what happened to him?"

"No Mr. Rory. I was guiding him on a mission when he was taken."

"This is all fascinating but irrelevant to right now. Were those other agents rescued?" Rip had observed how white Sara's face was and knew she was holding on to herself with rigid self-control.

"No. From the condition of the bodies, it appeared that they had been tortured before dying."

Mick's hand crushed what remained of his sandwich. "Can't you track him? You left that thing-a-ma-bob in him right?"

"Correct. However, it is passive and needs to be activated by Captain Cold himself. It sent out a signal briefly but it stopped."

"Could...could his death be the reason it stopped?" Sara felt like a tightly strung wire.

"No. I would know if death halted the transmission. It was turned off. I am certain that he will activate it again."

"You have faith?" Stein was amazed. The AI seemed even more human than Gideon and that was saying a lot.

"In my captain, yes."

Rip took control. "Do you have any idea where or what era he was taken to?"

"I know the era but not the exact location. I believe that when we learn this, you should enter the Iceberg as we go to rescue him."

"Your ship? Why not the Waverider?"

"It is not a problem per se with your ship or Gideon. However, my medical facilities are vastly superior to what you have on board." He did not mention the other reason; the Elders needed to be able to track this mission and could only do that with his ship.

"Do you think it will make that much of a difference?" asked Ray. He'd kept quiet the entire time. Even with all he'd seen and been through, he was still shocked by the cruelty of the world.

"Analysis of the bodies of the other time agents suggest that drastic measures might need to be taken to save Captain Cold's life. We should rendezvous so you may enter this ship."

The two AIs planned to rendezvous in Berlin where Leonard had been taken. They didn't think their enemies would return to the exact same location. Now it was up to Leonard to give them the signal for them to find him.

"I must ask for your assistance with another matter. Captain Cold was retrieving a chip that will eventually be used to create AIs such as myself and Gideon. He was able to stash it before capture but it needs to be retrieved." The AI had received orders to that effect.

"Blondie and I'll handle it." Mick needed to do something. Waiting was not his forte. He knew the assassin needed action as well.

The AI projected the building's layout and lit up an area on the ground floor. "Captain Cold said he placed the chip in a vase. It will be somewhere in the vicinity of this spot. I can give you a security card to enter the building but you will have to determine a plan to retrieve it without my help. I do not believe we can wait until the building closes. Captain Cold will be alerting us to his position at any moment and we will need to move immediately."

Sara let Mick figure out the plan. Leonard was the brains of their team but Mick did know how to commit robbery. With her to back him up, they should have no problems. She entered the building first and wandered around scoping out the waiting area. She had spotted two vases in the target area and ambled over. Touching the arrangement of dried flowers in the first option, she looked down to see if she could spot their mark. Seeing nothing, she moved to the second one. She came up empty too. Reaching up, she activated her comm. "Geoffrey, are you sure Leonard said a vase near to where I am now?

"Yes, Ms. Lance. He said he placed it in a vase near his location at the time of the transmission."

"Then either someone got it or it went deeper than I can see. Mick? What do we do?"

By this time, Mick had entered the building. He wasn't wearing his green jacket but a windbreaker in an attempt to blend in. It wasn't working. "If you can't spot it, then Plan B."

"What's Plan B?"

Mick had come up to Sara at that point. "Smash and grab." He then put words into action and shoved the vase onto the floor so that it shattered.

Without waiting to see if the chip was in his vase, Sara turned to the other one and did the same. Each Legend scanned the fragments on the floor looking for their target.

"Ha!" Mick bent down and scooped up the elusive chip. "Time to go!"

Their actions had not gone ignored. Security was heading towards them. Sara shook out her batons and took a defensive stance. Mick pulled his Heat Gun from inside his jacket and aimed at the guards running towards them.

"There is an exit behind you. It is the same one that Captain Cold used to leave the building." Geoffrey was hoping to avoid a ruckus. His priority was the safe return of his captain but they needed that chip. And the AI was certain that he would need his captain's friends to help in the rescue and, more importantly, his recovery. He had volumes of psychology texts in his database that spoke of PTSD.

The assassin and thief exchanged a look that spoke volumes. They advanced against the guards instead and began to fight. They'd held in their anger but now they needed to let it escape.

Back on board his ship, Rip dropped his head with a feeling he'd come to know over the past year. These three, no two, would do what they wanted. He knew that both were fighting now since they had no target for their rage over the kidnapping of their friend. "Let it go, Geoffrey. They'll return when they're ready."

"Captain Hunter?"

"What is it Gideon? Did Mr. Snart..." Rip hoped that their master thief had been able to activate his tracker finally.

"No. However, I'm receiving an odd signal from the Iceberg."

"What kind of signal?" Rip sat upright from where he'd been slouched.

"It appears to be some type of homing device."

"Contact Geoffrey." Rip flipped back the edge of his coat and headed towards the aft storage bay. "And ask Mr. Jefferson to join me." The two men walked across the clearing and approached the ship. Rip used his comm to communicate with both ships. He handed a scanner to the young mechanic and told him to start at the ship's nose while he headed towards the rear. He believed the object he was hunting for would be near the actual door but he didn't want to ignore the possibility that there might be more than one device. Both men met up at the hatch after searching fruitlessly for 20 minutes. "Open up please Geoffrey. Mr. Jefferson, if you would take the right side please?" They ran the scanners slowly from top to bottom. An intermittent beeping emitted from Jax's device. He waved it in circles until it became a solid sound.

"Do you see anything?"

"Not a thing. How tiny do you think it is Rip?"

"It might just have fallen down in through the grate." Rip reached up and touched his comm again. "Mr. Palmer. We need you at the Iceberg in your exosuit." They waited until the scientist joined them. "I believe, Mr. Palmer, that a tracking device is lodged under the grate here. Could you..." Rip stopped talking as their teammate shrunk himself and dropped down to investigate.

Ray flew down between the bars of the grate and hovered. "What is it look like?"

"If it's anything like what I use, it will be about the size of a hearing aid battery."

They listened as Ray gave a running dialogue about his search pattern when he suddenly shouted, "I found it! Can I pick it up?"

"Is it attached to anything?"

Ray squatted and shoved at it gently and shouted "No!"

"Geoffrey? What do you think?"

"If Mr. Palmer would bring it up, I can examine it."

Ray rose through the floor grate with the tracker and grew to normal size. He wiggled the tracker in his palm and started talking to himself as he headed towards the lab. He placed the tech on a table and under Geoffrey's direction found probes to examine the device. The AI and the genius finally determined how the tracker was made. Geoffrey identified the carrier wave and sent the information on to the Elders. They believed that he would find his captain where the signal was heading. He was able to determine a time and place and called the Legends to the main deck.

Mick stalked in with the chip raised in the air. "This what you want?"

"Yes, Mr. Rory. Thank you. Now if you will just place it in the lighted drawer, we will make sure it returns to its proper place in the timeline once we've recovered Captain Cold." The AI continued. "I have been able to determine where and when the ship that placed that tracker is. I believe that it is also where we will find Captain Cold. However, we won't know his exact location until he turns on his personal tracker."

"Once we're there, we can scan until we find him, right?" Sara felt hope rise and throttled it down. She would not be overconfident; that might get Leonard killed.

"The tracker in Captain Cold will not send out a constant signal. I decided to program it so that it sends its signal in a pulse. If it isn't always transmitting, the chances of it being picked up on a random search are much smaller. We will be able to pinpoint his location the next time it activates. If you all would find a place to sit down, we will head to Siberia 2145.

"What about the Waverider?" Rip hated not being on his own ship.

"Two ships will alert our enemies to our presence. If you would have Gideon go somewhen else, we will rendezvous after we rescue Captain Cold."

"Why elsewhen?"

"This is where my captain was abducted. They might deduce we would return here after rescuing Captain Cold and come here to intercept us."

"Valid point. Gideon?"

"Yes Captain."

"We will rendezvous on January 1, 2018 in Central City."

"Yes sir." Gideon closed the circuit and lifted off.

The team looked around for placed to sit. Rip took the pilot's chair while Stein, Jax, and Ray found seats in Leonard's office. There were no restraints which made Martin very nervous. They'd be thrown around like dolls if they encountered any resistance. Mick dropped onto the floor next to the wall of the bridge.

Sara had gone to Leonard's room and lay down on his bed. "Geoffrey?"

"Yes Ms. Lance?"

"What are the chances we'll find him alive?"

"According to the damage to the deceased agents, I would predict we need to find Captain Cold within the next 24 hours or the chance of recovering him alive drop significantly."

Sara blocked all thoughts of "what if" out of her mind. They would get him back. Leonard would be alive. Nothing else was possible.

"So what now?" asked Stein once the Iceberg had entered the Time Stream.

"We wait." Rip understood the need for action that the team had to be feeling. He felt it too. He could only hope that they would be able to act in time. Hurry up and wait was a familiar feeling for him. "How long has it been since Mr. Snart was taken Geoffrey?"

"Twenty-three hours and thirteen minutes have elapsed since he was captured."

"Shouldn't he have, you know, pressed that thing by now?" Jax was still on the bridge. He'd kept quiet while all the others were talking about what they should do. While Snart had never been his favorite person, the youngest team member was worried. Snart didn't deserve to be tortured to death.

"Perhaps you need to fill us in on everything that you know about these people who have taken Mr. Snart."

After a brief check with the Elders, Geoffrey displayed data on the main screen along with an image of one of the deceased agents. Martin turned away from the image. "Please," he begged the AI.

"Apologies. Mr. Hunter did request everything."

"Perhaps if you just gave us a written copy of that report Geoffrey." Rip was grateful that Ms. Lance was elsewhere. He forgot about Mr. Rory sitting on the floor in the corner. Heat was Mick's element; right now he felt cold looking at the corpse and seeing his partner's face superimposed on the body.

"Certainly." The AI added those files to another screen. Rip and Raymond read the reports which included the chemicals found in the bodies.

"Geoffrey? These chemicals...did they kill these agents?" Sara had joined them on the bridge.

"No. The trauma they received killed them. The Elders believe that they were questioned and then tortured for information about the Elders."

"Leonard would never give them up." Mick spoke up to defend his friend.

"Yes, Mr. Rory. That is what we are afraid of. Once those who capture him determine that the drugs are ineffective, they will resort to physical violence."

Martin spoke up. "And why are these drugs ineffective? These are powerful narcotics and one simply cannot choose to ignore their effects."

"The Elders...altered...Captain Cold's organs a bit to prevent him from being drugged easily. That is another reason why this ship must rescue him. I have drugs that have been modified so they are effective for Captain Cold. That said, it is the physical damage that he will sustain that concerns me most."

"Snart can take it." Only Mick understood how much abuse his friend could take and still walk away. After all, he himself had beaten the shit out of him not too long ago.

Sara had wandered away from the group. She was so focused on her thoughts that when Martin touched her shoulder she jumped.

"Ms. Lance...Sara. We'll find him. Mr. Snart is like the proverbial cat. He always seems to land on his feet." He offered a weak smile hoping to get one in return.

"I know he does, but this time..."

"He was in the middle of a nuclear explosion and yet returned to us. As soon as we know where he is, we'll go to his assistance just as he saved us not too long ago. Twice as a matter of fact."

Looking over at the main group, she whispered, "If he can let us know." She looked up at Martin, straightened her shoulders and they rejoined the others. The vigil began.

Mick was exploring Leonard's galley when the comm chimed. "Captain Cold has activated his beacon. If you would all return to the bridge, we need to make plans."

Geoffrey had a wire screen blueprint displayed showing a large building. Once everyone was on the bridge, the AI began to explain what they were seeing. "This building is two stories above ground and four below." A dot glowed on the third level down. "Here is where Captain Cold currently is."

Before any of the others got a word out, Sara turned to Mick. "I know you've broken out of prison before. What do you suggest?" She glared at Rip who started to speak; he backed down at Sara's expression.

Mick ignored those around him as he walked around the command console. "Geoffrey. Show me pipes big enough for a person, HVAC conduits, and power grids." They all watched as those details were added onto the 3-D map. "I need to see where these pipes come out of the building. Where their access points are." The AI illuminated that too.

"Why don't we just get fake ID's like normal and break in?" Ray spoke up.

"And how well has that worked for us in the past Mr. Palmer?" Martin knew they needed to hurry but moving too fast might get them captured too. His faith in Mr. Rory was not the same as Sara's. They all knew that Mr. Snart was the brains of the partnership.

But Mick had learned a lot as Chronos. His thought processes were faster and his motivation had never been stronger as it was at this moment. He asked the AI some more questions and then proposed his plan pointing on the map as he gave the instructions. "Haircut. You're going to shrink and go in through this series of ducts. Get to Leonard as fast as you can. Firestorm. You will go to this power junction and when I tell you, you'll cut all power. Once you do that, get to this point. You're our backup. That leaves the three of us going in here." Mick pointed to the top of an elevator shaft. "We'll use ropes to get down to that level and find Leonard and Haircut." The thief crossed his arms and waited.

"If I may suggest?" Geoffrey spoke first. At Mick's grunt, he continued. "While the elevator shaft seems like the perfect access point, it's slow. I believe that once you breach their building, they will try to execute Captain Cold. Mr. Palmer may not be able to prevent that if he is overwhelmed by sheer numbers. I've been reviewing the floor plans and have found a different access point. If you follow the elevator shaft, you would have to stop to go through or around the elevator. But here," the AI illuminated a point on the map, "is a shaft that was sealed off seventeen years ago. It was used to supply ventilation to the floors below the surface before they installed the HVAC system. Once the cover is removed, you will have a straight shot down and it passes a wall very close to where Captain Cold is being held. A small charge will give you access to the corridor. You should be able to use it as the escape point as well. The explosion will bring down the guards so everyone else will have to be in position before you detonate."

"How can we all get out quickly? Only Raymond can fly and carry someone." Sara didn't need to point out that Firestorm would burn any passenger.

"Are you restricted to carrying the weight of one person as Firestorm?" the AI asked.

"I believe so but we've never carried anyone due to..."

"I can manufacture fireproof ropes and harness that will allow you to carry someone."

Knowing they had to move fast once they rescued Leonard, Mick made his choice. "Haircut will take Rip and Firestorm will take Leonard. You can shoot flame to protect the two of you." Mick had faith that he and Sara would be able to fight their way out. If Mick had to carry Leonard, it would reduce his fighting ability. It might slow him down enough for him to be captured as well.

"And if Mr. Snart is unconscious?" Martin had to point out the fact that their teammate might not be able to help with his rescue.

"The harness will work whether he's conscious or not. That leaves Mr. Rory and Ms. Lance to return up the shaft using ropes." In another area, the ship's fabrication unit began to extrude the ropes they would need. "I need to scan Firestorm to design the harness." The two men merged allowing the AI to scan his torso. "Thank you. If you would all prepare, we will be leaving the Temporal Zone in twenty minutes."

Sara went to Leonard's room to gather her weapons. "Ms. Lance?"

"What Geoffrey?"

"If you would take this device with you," a drawer popped open from the side wall.

Peeking in, Sara saw a matte black disk about the size of a silver dollar. "What is it?"

"It may save Captain Cold's life. Please take it with you." The AI had not had time to remove the implanted oxygen generator that had kept his captain alive when he'd gone to rescue his teammates. He hoped it would not need to be activated again but it would be best to be prepared. He watched as Sara placed it inside her shirt.

Mick coiled the ropes he found in the fabrication room. With Geoffrey's direction, he found the automatic climbing tools he'd used before. Jax put on the special harness; the other harness and rope went into a backpack which Mick put on. Rip attached a small case to his belt. Geoffrey had put together a triage kit for the rescue.

The team was ready at the door when the Iceberg broke through and hovered above their target. The door opened and they moved out.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Leonard had been a captive for over a week; surely his friends would have come for him by now. He didn't realize how badly his time sense had been altered by Dr. Flannagan's drug protocols and that only twenty-seven hours had passed for him. Fatalistically, he thought about his options. The drugs didn't seem to work on him the way these people expected. They would eventually stop trying that and resort to physical violence alone. He knew they would continue beating him and while he knew that he wouldn't give up the Elders, he wanted it to stop. All those times his father had smacked him around, he knew that his grandfather or the police would stop Lewis. That the pain would end eventually. Once Mick had taught him how to fight, his father wasn't able to land more than one blow before Leonard stopped him. There would be no _eventually_ here, however. Leonard had come to the realization that his friends weren't coming. He'd knew he was bleeding internally; that wasn't a new sensation. He was light-headed and getting weaker. Leonard saw that his hands had become infected. With the damage done to them, gangrene was beginning; they were beginning to smell. He understood that he couldn't fight his own body in this instance and once he became feverish, these people might be able to learn something. Leonard had to end it somehow. The decision wasn't that hard after all. He'd keep his friends safe and his honor intact. He didn't have to wait long.

Jonas entered the room followed by one of the guardsmen. The monitors had told him that there was very little of Flannagan's drugs left in his subject. Now finding the truth would be up to brute force. He had to admit he was impressed. This Leonard was not giving in easily. But his body would betray him. Between in internal hemorrhaging and the infection, the man's temperature had already reached 100 degrees. His fever would build and then Jonas could get him to talk. He stood staring at the subject who stared right back.

"You want to know about the Elders?" Leonard rasped out. "I don't know them but I know the Time Masters. Druce. Declan."

On the other side of the mirrored way, Flannagan turned away, jerked open the door, and went into the cell next door. She approached Leonard and shouted, "What do you know about them?"

Smirking, Leonard turned his head to the side. He'd already tested the range the chains allowed. Bracing himself, he was able to pivot and side kicked the woman in the throat.

Grabbing her throat and coughing Flannagan was pulled to a safe distance by Jonas. He crouched down next to her. "Are you okay?" He was furious that he'd thought the prisoner was too weak to fight back. Flannagan was still on the floor trying to breathe. He signaled to the soldier to take her to the medical unit. Standing up again, he approached Leonard. "That was a big mistake." He grasped Leonard's right hand and squeezed. His victim's scream was satisfying.

Jonas had to stop himself from beating the man to death right then and there. He restrained himself and backed away. Reaching up to the comm on his collar, he called sick bay. "How is Flannagan?"

A tinny voice came through, "Her larynx was damaged. She will recover but we'll have to surgically repair the damage. She is sedated right now."

With a snarl, Jonas barely restrained himself from turning on his victim.

"Damn!" thought Leonard. He thought he'd kicked her hard enough. But this guy was pissed. Now to piss him off even more, to push him over the edge, to make him attack. Leonard tilted his head up so he could look down his nose at his opponent. Those who knew him would realize he was going to begin taunting his captor. "You say the Time Masters are your leaders? Well, I call them the Time Bastards. But I got even with them. You see, I set the bomb that destroyed the Oculus." Leonard didn't want to let anyone else know that he'd been in the machine up to his armpit when it blew. That would lead to the revelation of how powerful the Elders were.

"A bomb. That's what took out the Vanishing Point?" Like the others in their squadron, Jonas had seen the wreckage that had replaced their home base. Not one of the ships that had been docked there had survived. He hoped there were others out there but he was only certain of their nine ships. And this man was claiming responsibility. Red filled his vision.

"A bomb. I saw Druce's face when he realized what was happening. He didn't look to be in control." Leonard's voice had risen to the whine many knew. He smiled as Jonas dove at him.

The lights went out as Jonas grabbed Leonard by the throat. Instinctively, Leonard struggled to breathe but he had goaded this man to attack him, to end it so he wouldn't betray the others. His vision was going dark when he heard an explosion and then a ruckus outside the door. He passed out while Jonas kept on squeezing.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

The AI had come out of the Time Stream at night. That was good for most of them except Firestorm. He'd have to fly in and power down. Otherwise, he'd light up the night and they'd be seen. Everyone knew Leonard would be running out of time. As a team, they moved.

Geoffrey was guiding Ray via comms through the labyrinth of ductwork. He moved as fast as he could but being that small meant he had a lot more distance to cover. While Rip and Sara secured the ropes to an AV unit on the roof near their target, Mick removed the shaft's cover and soon he, Sara, and Rip were descending quickly into the darkness. Firestorm dove towards the transformer that Mick had identified and set down on the roof next to it so he could power down. Looking it over, Jax and Stein determined that the best way to disable it was to burn through the box and all the cables. In the shaft, Mick had pulled out a small thermite bomb and attached it to the wall beside him. He activated the climbing tool and rose up to where Rip and Sara were hovering. He held the trigger waiting for Ray's call.

Raymond dove and twisted through the pipes until Geoffrey told him that he had arrived. Hovering, he looked around. The grill in front of him was made of a tight mesh. He was too big to pass through. He flew up to it and saw the back of a silver haired man chained to the ceiling.

 _"He didn't look to be in control." said Leonard._ That was definitely Snart. What he didn't expect was the other man leaping forward to grab Snart by the throat and begin to choke him. "Snart's here! He's killing him! I got to..." he stopped talking and focused on cutting through the mesh. The lights going out didn't faze him. He had his own light source. Which would make him visible if the men below looked up. He tried to ignore the choking sounds but it was hard. Being so small, his firepower was equally reduced. It would take a bit to cut through. The walls around him were stone; he couldn't enlarge here. Debating, he turned around and headed towards a vent he remembered seeing earlier.

 _"Snart's here! He's killing him!"_ Mick pressed the trigger and shouted to Firestorm, "Now!" The wall exploded at the same time. The three Legends dropped and pulled themselves through the hole. Sara took off first running down the corridor as Geoffrey guided her. Mick and Rip followed but stopped to fight the guards who had appeared. Alarms began to blare and the emergency lights activated. The dim red glow showed Sara her destination. She heard shouting and weapons discharging behind her but didn't turn to look. Turning a corner, she saw Ray emerge from a duct and enlarge. Raising his hands, he blasted the door in front of him. She ducked under his arms, saw what was happening, and leaped onto the man who had his hands around Leonard's throat. Using her staff, she pulled Jonas' chin up and up until his neck snapped. Jumping off the falling body, she dove towards Leonard's still form dangling from his bonds.

"Help me!" Sara strained to support Leonard. Arriving at the cell, Rip dodged around Mick. Their pyro was letting out his rage on their enemy and cutting a swath through the ranks. "Mr. Palmer, if you would assist Mr. Rory?"

"Huh? Oh." Ray turned around and rose into the air so he could fire at the enemy's reinforcements.

Rip used a laser tool and sliced through Leonard's chains. They could remove the manacles later. He helped Sara lay their friend on the ground; he was unresponsive.

Sara leaned in towards Leonard and realized what had happened. "Geoffrey, he can't breathe. His throat's crushed."

"Place the device I gave you on his chest." Geoffrey remote activated the adrenaline injector that was still implanted and restarted his heart. Once blood was circulating again, he activated the oxygen converter. Reading the results, the AI said, "Captain Cold has enough oxygen to last 18 minutes. You have to get him back on ship by that time. Mr. Hunter. There is a neck splint in the triage kit. There is a chance his neck was broken since his throat is crushed. To keep Captain Cold from further injury, please use the splint."

While Rip placed the splint around Leonard's neck, Sara darted out the door. As much as she wanted to stay with Leonard, she couldn't do any good for him right then. "Mick! Go get Leonard! Firestorm! We're coming your way."

As they'd planned, Mick would carry Leonard to the shaft. Mick grasped his partner's arms and pulled him up across his shoulders into a fireman's carry. "Let's go," he shouted and took off as fast as he could go. Sara preceded him clearing a path while Rip and Ray had their backs. They reached the air shaft and, looking in, Sara could see Firestorm hovering. Mick set Leonard on the floor and with Rip's help, they secured him in the harness. Sara took the end of the rope and Firestorm swooped down and secured it to the carabiner on his harness. Rising up, he stopped when the rope's end was even with the blasted hole. Carrying Leonard to the hole, they eased him through and attached his harness to the carabiner on the rope.

"Go! Get him to the Iceberg!" Sara shouted. She moved inside the shaft and found her cable ascender and attached it to her own harness. Activating it, she rose quickly. Below, Mick did the same. Ray swung out into the shaft and turned around to grasp Rip's hands to pull him to safety.

As Firestorm breached the entrance, he spun his head around and shot off fireballs in all directions. He hoped that even if he didn't stop any snipers, he'd make them duck long enough to get Snart to safety. Successful, he rose in the air until Snart was even with the rooftop and moved over allowing his passenger to come to rest. He then took the offensive to allow the others to reach the evacuation point.

Once Sara and Mick had reached the roof, Geoffrey flew the ship down and opened the hatch. Mick scooped his partner up once again and entered the ship not stopping until he reached the med bay. He lay Leonard down and stood back. Geoffrey initiated a scan to determine what needed to be treated first. Once the team was onboard, Geoffrey lifted off and entered the Time Stream for a quick jump away from their enemies. Exiting, the AI landed the ship in the shadows of a canyon laced with iron. The hope was that the metal would mask their presence allowing them time to heal Leonard Snart.

Sara beat the rest into the med bay and skidded to a stop. She needed to be there but there was nothing that she could do. She didn't understand the machines; only Rip and maybe Martin did. She could only watch and pray.

"As Ms. Lance pointed out, Captain Cold's throat has been crushed. The first thing is to open an airway. He has only six minutes of oxygen left."

"Yes. About that. How...?"

"Later Professor. So do you plan to surgically open an airway?" Rip focused on the problem at hand.

"I would..."

Ray interrupted the AI. "Could his throat be opened from inside?"

"What do you mean? I believe the damage is too severe to place an instrument down his throat to manipulate the passage. A tool would just puncture the esophagus."

Remembering how he'd gotten into Kendra's bloodstream to remove the pieces of the dagger, he asked, "What if I shrunk enough to fit? Then I could push his throat open from inside."

"I believe that might work," said Geoffrey. "If it doesn't, we will have to surgically repair the damage in case your plan fails. In the meantime, if one of you would place that cuff around Captain Cold's arm, I can administer medication and anything else that he needs."

Realizing he was superfluous, Jax left. Mick and Sara moved to the far side of the room. They didn't want to be in the way but neither could they leave. They watched as Rip, Martin, and Ray analyzed a projected image of Leonard's esophagus.

Using a tool Geoffrey offered, Rip opened Leonard's jaw as much as he could and carefully placed a brace to keep it from closing. Turning to Ray, he waited as the tech billionaire shrunk down and hovered over the opening. Entering Leonard's throat, Ray reached the beginning of the collapse. Placing his hands carefully, he slowly increased his jet thrust. It was satisfying to see the flesh move upward back into place.

On the outside, Rip and Martin followed the progress. "Mr. Palmer, this seems to be working," said Martin. Mick had to turn away. Watching his partner's throat move like that made him think of the movie Alien.

"Please proceed as fast as you can. Captain Cold will run out of oxygen in less than three minutes." Geoffrey hadn't believed that Raymond's plan would work but the proof was right in front of him.

Using his facemask's light, Ray went deeper and encountered more and more severe damage. He eased and shoved until the blockage was reduced. Martin had suggested that Raymond clear an opening first before going back and completely opening the airway. Once that was done, the scientist hovered at the entrance to Leonard's throat.

"Mr. Palmer, if you would come out now please." Geoffrey asked, "Are any of you able to intubate Captain Cold?"

"I know the procedure," Martin assured the group.

"Then we need to get oxygen flowing first before Mr. Palmer finishes the repair. Time is up."

Once the tube was in place, oxygen entered Leonard's lungs and his chest began to rise and fall. Rip went over to read the medical display. Mr. Snart's O2 had hovered at 80% due to the implanted device. Now his level increased to 90%. "Any chance that Mr. Snart will have damage due to lack of oxygen Geoffrey?"

"My scans indicate that Ms. Lance activated the device in time. I can find no damage. We do, however, need to focus on the other injuries as they are life-threatening as well. Mr. Palmer, if you would continue with opening his crushed throat while I work to repair the other damage."

Sara stepped forward. "What other injuries does he have?"

"His blood pressure is low which indicates some internal hemorrhaging. Scanning now. If someone would remove the manacles from around Captain Cold's wrists, please as the metal is interfering."

Grateful he could do something, Mick stepped forward and pulled out a lock pick from his jacket's collar. He grasped the manacle on Leonard's right hand and turned it to reach the lock. "Fucking bastards!"

"What?" Sara turned to see what Mick had discovered.

More gently than anyone would have imagined, Mick cradled Leonard's mangled right hand. Bone was showing through at several points and the long, agile fingers were twisted. The flesh had darkened with pooled blood. Ignoring the damage for the moment, Mick removed the manacle and placed Leonard's hand onto the table palm down. He walked around the bed and discovered similar damage to his partner's left hand. "No wonder he didn't escape," he muttered. Rage filled him and only the fact they were no longer near that base kept him from enacting his vengeance immediately.

Standing at the head of the med bed, Sara had to brush a tear from Leonard's forehead where it had dropped. "You can fix it can't you Geoffrey? I mean, your Elders replaced his heart and lungs for goodness sake."

"Captain Cold's hands cannot be repaired."

Belligerent, Mick swung to face the AI's console. "Why not!" he demanded.

"As you can see from these scans, the bones in his knuckles have been crushed. I can heal the bone but he would not be able to bend his fingers at those joints."

Mick was horrified. Leonard would refuse to live crippled like that. His light-fingered habits were his lifeline.

"I am not saying that Captain Cold will not have use of his hands. I will have to regenerate new ones."

"Of course," said Martin. "Well, at least Mr. Snart has been through that before."

"Lost his hand? Oh, yeah." Mick looked down with shame as he remembered how Leonard had escaped from Chronos' ship.

The others didn't know where to look. While the two thieves had rebuilt their friendship, they all remembered how Mick had almost killed Leonard.

Breaking the tableau, Ray took that moment to emerge victorious from Leonard's throat and enlarge to full size. "That's done," he said proudly then took in the expressions on everyone's face. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, Mr. Palmer." Rip needed to divert Raymond's attention quickly. Turning towards the scan results, he spoke to Martin. "Professor Stein, how does the esophagus look to you now?"

Understanding bloomed in the scientist and he joined their captain. The two conversed with the AI about the next steps.

"I have to surgically repair some of the internal damage done to Captain Cold. If you wish to remain, please step back from the bed." A boxy structure came down from the ceiling and covered Leonard's torso from throat to mid-thigh leaving his arms exposed.

"What are you doing?" asked Sara afraid to hear the answer.

"Captain Cold was beaten. He has internal hemorrhaging, four fractured ribs, and his spleen has ruptured. There is significant bruising to several internal organs and I must assess whether they have been damaged beyond self-repair."

"And if they have?"

"Then I will regenerate new ones as well. This will take several hours. I suggest you all go get a bite to eat and clean up."

Neither Mick nor Sara wanted to leave but they understood that their presence was superfluous. Ray was hungry so he followed them out of the room.

Both Martin and Rip decided to stay. Martin was curious about the technology and Rip had a question he had to ask.

"Geoffrey? Can you communicate and continue giving Mr. Snart your attention?"

"Yes, the damage is not immediately life-threatening. And I will need your help when I focus on his hands."

"What kind of help?"

"I will be surgically amputating them but I need some of the tissue to use as a matrix for the new hands. I have some cells in storage but not enough for the spleen and his hands. If you would assist with that now, I can begin culturing new cells immediately."

Trying to be stoic, Martin watched as a laser sliced each of Leonard's hands off at the wrist. He couldn't force himself to move so Rip took the shattered pieces of flesh and placed them in an opaque bin that Geoffrey indicated. The AI immediately began to separate healthy cells from dead ones and started the culture growth.

"How long before you can replace Mr. Snart's hands? If he wakes up and sees…" Martin didn't want to continue. He'd likened Mr. Snart's freezing off his hand to escape to that of a wild animal caught in a trap. He would react violently at the sight of such maiming.

"Captain Cold will be under until such time as I regenerate his hands."

"What about shock? Energy drain?" Rip remembered Mr. Snart's collapse when they had regenerated his one missing hand. The drain on their compatriot's body would be immense this time.

"The damage that Captain Cold sustained and the methods which I shall use to heal him will indeed take a tremendous toll on him. He will recover."

"You're certain?" Martin didn't want to contemplate what Mr. Snart's second death would mean to his teammates.

"Yes. I am certain. However, while he is healing, I will have to control all bodily functions such as heart and lungs. When the Elders first brought Captain Cold back, they had more advanced technology than I am able to carry on a ship of this size. I have the capability of keeping my captain alive but there was always a possibility that we would have to return to the Elders' base if his injuries ever were too severe."

"And these aren't severe?" Rip's voice rose.

"They are not enough to require me to seek their assistance. I am fully capable of healing Captain Cold of these injuries. However…" the AI paused. "I am concerned with his mental state. What he apparently was subjected to since he was captured must surely cause him mental anguish. I will need your assistance to complete his recovery."

Knowing that the bulk of compassion would come from Sara and maybe Mick, Rip assured the AI that they would help however they could.

Both men looked up as Sara entered the room. Approaching the bed, her eyes moved from his still face until they reached the end of his wrists. Covering her mouth with her hand, Sara held back a whimper with an iron will.

Rip came up to her side. "He will have his hands back, Ms. Lance. Geoffrey assures us he will recover completely. I believe him."

"Could I be alone please?" she begged and the men left. "Geoffrey?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance?"

"Can I stay a while?"

The AI was still learning about humans especially his own captain. He had watched these two building a relationship. Perhaps her presence could help.

"If you would pull up a chair and talk to Captain Cold, I believe that it will help." The AI turned his full attention to his patient while Sara sat down next to Leonard's head.

With gentle hands she touched the bruises on his face. Standing up, she went to the sink. "Do you have any cloths?" The AI illuminated a cabinet which contained small cloths and larger towels. Selecting a cloth, she wet it with warm water and returned to Leonard where she began to sponge off the dried blood. While she worked, she talked. At first it was about their time on the beach. "I know we agreed that this wasn't a forever and ever thing between us, but right now the thought of losing you is tearing me apart. You are the strongest willed man that I know." _Even stronger than Ollie_. "You can't let them defeat you. And when you've recovered, we're going to find them and destroy them. Together. But I need your help to do that." As the hours passed, she bared her heart about her past and her feelings, her hopes and her dreams.

Geoffrey raised the med box that had been working on Leonard's torso. The movement startled Sara and she jerked up from her doze. "I have finished the repairs to Captain Cold's internal organs.

"Now what?" she asked.

"I am going to regenerate Captain Cold's hands. If you would step back, please?" The AI waited until she complied and then began the process of rebuilding Leonard's hands.

Fascinated in spite of herself, Sara watched as first the bone structure, nerves, then muscles and finally skin were layered on until Leonard had two hands once again. "May I?" she asked once the beam stopped.

"Yes."

Picking up Leonard's hand, Sara turned it around. It was the exact same shape; she knew that hand intimately. But the little nicks and scars were gone. The skin was smooth with no calluses or weathering. "What about his other injuries?"

"They are healing as planned. The only organ that needed to be replaced was the spleen. He still needs time for his body to recover from the shock. Why don't you go get some sleep?"

Exhaustion set in. Looking at the wall chronometer, Sara realized that it had been seven hours since they'd rescued Leonard. Kissing him on his forehead, Sara left Leonard to find some rest for herself. If she was to help him find his vengeance, she'd need all her wits and energy.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Sara entered the med bay and stood beside Leonard's still form. He had a circular disk on his chest about the size of a plate with wires radiating outward. The ventilator that he was still hooked up to sounded loud in the silent room. A screen on the wall showed his vitals; to her inexperienced eye, they seemed within normal range. She picked up his hand marveling at how he was no longer maimed. "Geoffrey? How is Leonard doing?"

"Captain Cold is currently on total life support."

A cold fist clenched around her heart. "You're keeping him alive? Why?" She reached out to yank the ventilator's power chord but was seized from behind by Mick.

Geoffrey had called Rip and Mick to the med bay as soon as Sara had walked in. The AI was concerned with how she would react to the news. It was a good call.

"Sara. Wait!" Rip blocked her view of Leonard. "It's expected."

"Expected? What the hell are you talking about. He's dead! Again!"

"Yes and no. Would you please let me explain?" He nodded to Mick to release the furious assassin.

Mick stepped away in case she wanted to try anything and went to stand between Sara and his partner. Rip had already filled him in on the important details.

Reaching out to grasp her shoulders, Rip put every ounce of sincerity into his voice. He had to convince her quickly. "Mr. Snart did not die. Not exactly. He went into shock when the ship regenerated his hands. The new tissue draws energy from the body as it builds all the nerve and vessel connections. This happened when we had to replace his hand. But the last time it was only one hand and he hadn't been through all the other trauma as he has suffered recently. Yes. He is on life support but it's to give him time to heal."

"He will heal?" Her voice was tight with emotion. She turned to look at Leonard.

"I assure you Ms. Lance that Captain Cold's recovery is proceeding as expected. I predict that he will be off life support within the next 24 hours."

"Sara," Rip took her shoulders and turned her to face him again. "Mr. Snart will recover. You and I both know how resilient the man is."

"But will he be Leonard?" muttered Mick under his breath. He remembered how he'd lost himself as Chronos. The weeks and months of reconditioning had almost destroyed him. He thought about how broken Leonard had been in body when they had rescued him. Had his mind also been shattered? Mick left but soon returned carrying one of Leonard's cushioned office chairs which he placed next to Leonard's bed.

Giving a nod of thanks, Sara settled down to watch and wait.

Hours later, the AI spoke up. "Ms. Lance, Captain Cold will not wake up for at least another eight hours. I suggest that you get something to eat. Once he's awake, he will need you to be alert. Mr. Rory has said to inform him when you are ready to take a break."

It was the AI's last statement that finally convinced Sara to go get find something in the galley. Mick needed some time with his friend as well. "Fine. But if anything changes, and I mean anything good or bad, you get me."

"I promise. I will not keep anything from you, Ms. Lance, about Captain Cold's status."

Sara waited until Mick arrived before heading down the corridor. Heating up a mug of soup, she left for Leonard's room. She took off her shoes and curled up against the wall at the bed's head. Sipping the restorative soup, she thought about what she'd just seen. Her hands started to shake and silent tears rolled down her face. She set the empty mug on the ledge and crawled under the covers. His pillow smelled like him and she dropped off to sleep comforted by the thought he would soon be back with them and with her.

The entire team had been through the med bay to check on Leonard. They couldn't enter the Time Stream with his injuries so they were stranded. Martin and Jax had gone out with Ray to scout the area. They needed to get away from the intense emotion; they knew it wasn't a deathwatch but both Sara and Mick had become very short tempered. That was nothing new about Mick but for Sara to bite someone's head off was not normal.

The next day, Geoffrey had Rip remove the cardiac disk and the ventilator tube. They kept a close eye on Leonard's vitals and were satisfied with the results. He was holding his own and beginning to heal.

Mick came into the sickbay with a beer and a sandwich. Sara stood up and stretched. "I'll be back after I get something to eat. Geoffrey thinks he'll wake up soon." She left as Mick settled down in the chair to eat his lunch. He wadded up the wrapper and placed it beside the empty bottle. He debated going for another beer but someone needed to stay with Snart at all times. He'd be confused when he woke up and might lash out. Mick could take it but he worried about the others.

"Mr. Rory? Captain Cold appears to be regaining consciousness." The AI had been monitoring his captain; he was concerned with some of the readings. His blood chemistry appeared to be changing and the AI hadn't discovered the cause. He initiated a deeper scan.

Mick pulled himself upright as he wondered if he should call Sara. He watched his partner's eyelids as they fluttered and finally opened. Leonard's ice blue eyes stared at the ceiling but didn't appear to be focusing on anything. "How ya doing Leonard?" he asked.

Leonard's vision was still blurry but hearing Mick's voice in his ear brought his head around. " _This has to be a trick,"_ he thought. He felt the edge of the bed with each hand. He rolled off the bed and backed away as quickly as he could. Putting his back against the wall, he stood up. "Who are you?" He thought he was back in captivity. He'd seen Mick and Sara there too. But it hadn't been them.

Confused, Mick reached out towards Leonard. "It's me. Mick. We rescued you, Leonard."

"Noooooo. My partner doesn't call me _Leonard_. It's another trick." Staggering as he turned, Leonard tried to exit the med bay but a stab of pain between his eyes stopped him. He was dizzy and couldn't find his balance. His palm pressed against his head, he tried to continue on but the pain increased. He looked around him. It looked like Mick, his voice was Mick's. But...the lights burned his eyes and halos appeared. He couldn't think straight. But there was one thing that he was certain of. He wouldn't be taken again. He had to fight free. He attacked.

Mick was at a loss. What was wrong? "Geoffrey!" he demanded. "Help him!" He ducked Leonard's wild swing and grabbed him from behind. After all the abuse his partner had been through, he was too weak to put up much of a struggle.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Leonard snarled.

"Captain Cold. You are on the Iceberg. We rescued you from those who'd taken you captive."

"Who are you and what is the Iceberg?"

Mick's blood ran cold. If Leonard didn't remember his own ship, what other memories had he lost. "Leonard. Snart. You know me. We're partners."

"I know Mick and you ain't him." The pain in his head was increasing and he cried out.

"Mr. Rory you need to get Captain Cold on the table. I believe that his captors left something implanted that I missed."

Mick dragged Leonard next to the table but with the strength borne of panic, Leonard resisted as he punched wildly. A few blows connected and rocked Mick's head back a bit. Rip and Sara dashed into the room. Together the three of them were able to restrain their friend and pick him up and lay him on the med bed. Leonard's yells of anger turned into screams of agony.

"Help him!" Sara demanded as she placed the cuff on Leonard's arm.

Geoffrey sent anesthesia into his captain who soon quieted. Able to perform the scan at last, Geoffrey soon discovered what was wrong. A blue light illuminated Leonard's head.

"What's that for?" Mick asked.

"It's a stasis beam. There is something implanted in Captain Cold's head. It is organic which is why I missed it the first time. I initiated the stasis field to prevent it from doing anything else." As he spoke, the AI dropped another box over Leonard's head and began the delicate process of removing the foreign object.

"What do you think it is?" Rip was worried. "Is it a bomb?"

"Not in the sense that you mean. It appears to have been triggered by being away from a carrier signal for a set amount of time."

"A booby trap in Leonard." Mick was impressed with their enemy's creativity while vowing to get even with them. Diabolical tortures filled his thought. No one did that to his partner and lived.

"But what did it do?" asked Rip

"If you allow me the time to remove it, I will be better able to ascertain what its function is."

Chastened, the others were silent as they waited.

Geoffrey was concerned. The object had been implanted near the left temporal lobe. It appeared to be discharging a fluid of some sort. The stasis field had stopped that flow. He would need to run some tests to determine what the chemical was and then discover what damage had been done. If there was damage, he was not capable of repairing his captain's brain. They would have to return to the Elders for that. Hopefully, Captain Cold would heal on his own instead of needing their help. Once he'd removed the organic capsule, Geoffrey flushed out as much of the fluid as he could but Captain Cold's brain had absorbed some. The AI would need the assistance of these friends of his captain to determine what damage had been done to his memory. He displayed the capsule and Martin practically pounced on it. He took it over to the small lab area and worked with the AI to analyze it. That left Rip, Mick, and Sara at a loss. Another bedside vigil began.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0**

Mick had dragged in another chair so he could join Sara waiting for Leonard to wake up. Both had spent the intervening hours cleaning their weapons. Sharing the bottle of oil back and forth, they'd sharpened a lot of knives and Mick had torn apart his Heat Gun to give it a thorough cleaning.

Twisting around in his chair, Mick coughed a few times. He'd thought about what he'd wanted to say for the past hour.

"What is it?" Sara had not wanted to push the pyro to explain what was bothering him even though his fidgeting was driving her crazy.

"Leonard might not be Leonard when he wakes."

"What do you mean?"

"He might be Snart instead."

Sara understood what Mick was trying to tell her. That their friend and her lover might be the man who would pull a gun on her and this time pull the trigger. "Why do you think that?"

"When Leonard got out of juvie where I met him, his dad had gotten mean. One night he went after Lisa and Leonard tried to stop him. Lewis went psycho. He turned on Leonard and beat the shit out of him. He didn't stop until the cops showed. Leonard was in the hospital for over a week and his dad was sent to jail. It was when Leonard got home that I saw the change. He was still close to his sister but around anyone else...he got mean. He would fight first and developed a hair trigger temper. It took years before he got the self-control you've seen."

"Self-control?" She'd seen Leonard angry. If that was his self-control, she wasn't sure she wanted to see him angry. A memory of watching The Hulk made her smile faintly.

"Yeah. He started doing _big speeches_ and planned all our heists down to the second. It was the only control he had in his life."

"And you're afraid that when he wakes up he'll be mean again? Why now?"

Raising his voice, Mick pointed at his partner. "Look at him! He was tortured! He was killed. Again. I don't see how he doesn't change back to his old ways. He spent years being Snart and only recently has been Leonard."

Squeezing her hands together to keep them from shaking, Sara said a prayer that the man before them would come back to them whole in spirit. Or at least willing to let them help him heal.

 **0-0-0-0**

Geoffrey was able to identify the chemical that had been oozing into Leonard's brain. Speaking aloud, he said, "I have analyzed what was implanted in Captain Cold's cranium. It contained an anticholinergic. There is still some in his bloodstream but once he metabolizes it, he should recover his memory."

"How long will it take him to metabolize it? I thought you said that he was immune to drugs." Sara accused.

"Captain Cold is not immune as you mean it; unaltered drugs do not affect him the way they are supposed to. I believe that the proximity to the temporal lobe and the amount of drug that went into his brain might have affected his memory. We will have to wait to see how quickly he recovers. I flushed as much of the anticholinergic as I could from his bloodstream. It will be up to you, his friends, to help him regain his memory."

"And you said _should_ ," added Mick. "Is there a chance he won't remember?"

"My records show no case similar to this situation. We will have to wait for Captain Cold to regain consciousness to see what, if any, memory loss is present."

"So we wait." Sara settled back down in her chair. Curling her feet under her, she rested her hand on Leonard's and her head on her own arm.

"Let me know when he's awake will ya?" Hearing Sara's assent, Mick couldn't stay. His partner might be a different man once again. He'd come to understand how much Snart had changed and grown since they began this mission together. He couldn't give himself any credit for his own growth without acknowledging how much Leonard had taught him about being part of a team.

Left to her own thoughts, Sara dozed for the next hour. Movement on the bed beside her woke her and she sat upright afraid of what she might learn. "How are you?" The question was tentative.

Leonard focused on the ceiling above his head as he fought the darkness inside. Images flickered as his memories came crashing down. He shuddered as he vividly remembered all that had happened to him while he'd been captured. His thoughts felt clearer than they had for some time. "I…did I attack Mick?" He vaguely remembered waking up filled with panic and fighting back.

"You did but you weren't in your right mind." She paused not sure she wanted to hear his answer. "Do you remember the Iceberg? The team? Me?" The last word came out in a whisper.

He struggled to sit up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He was stiff but the pain was not as intense as memory told him it should be. He lifted first his right and then his left to examine both hands. "How?" They should have been mangled hunks of rotting flesh by now.

"Geoffrey regenerated them. With a bit of work, you'll have your old dexterity back." Sara took the gold coin out of her pocket. He'd once used it to help him when he'd frozen off his hand to escape Chronos. The coin had once belonged to Vandal Savage but Leonard had nicked it from his house. He had left it behind for Sara when he'd sacrificed himself at the Oculus. That coin had brought them together after the Elders had resurrected him. She placed it in his hand and folded his fingers around it.

His eyes darted around the med bay as Leonard sorted through recent events. "I remember not remembering. What did they do to me?"

"If I may sir?" Geoffrey broke in. "You were given several drugs while captured. One of the drugs is a memory inhibitor. I believe that your memory should return completely once the drug has been cleaned from your system. There was another modification that the Elders made that they did not consider important enough to tell you."

'That's it! I'm done!" Leonard was furious. No matter where he went, he was a lab rat. He tried to stand but fell back against the bed.

"Please sir. They did not consider it a betrayal. They changed your metabolism slightly so that drugs do not work quite the same way on you."

"Drugs?"

"Yes. All the medications that I have administered to you were chemically altered so that they are completely effective for you alone. The drugs that your captors gave you affected you, yes, however, their effects were not absolute."

Leonard thought for a moment. He remembered drinking a lot when he first told the team about his rebirth. Normally, that much whiskey would have knocked him out; it had just made him wobbly. Grudgingly, he realized that the alteration had probably kept him sober. He looked down at his hands and was not surprised to see that they were clenched together. The edges of the coin bit into his palm. A smaller pale hand covered his and he looked up.

"I have an idea about what you're feeling. About being losing complete control over your own life." Getting no response, Sara continued. "After the shipwreck when I was with Oliver, I was captured. I was terrified. I ... they hurt me. So to avoid any more pain, I became the torturer." She looked down at her hands. "At the time, I decided I would do anything rather than be tortured. I lost myself and it took friends to bring me back. You..." her voice broke for a moment. "You survived everything these people did to you." The memory of her lover's broken body made her shiver. "And you didn't lose a part of yourself by giving up."

"A part of myself? I don't know what's me and what's been regenerated. I'm not whole. Am I me or...or a...clone or something?"

"Captain Cold." Geoffrey interrupted. "You are the same man you have always been."

"I wouldn't go that far," muttered Sara.

"You had your chest, heart, and lungs regenerated and, after your imprisonment, both your hands. Your mind is still your own."

"Geoffrey? Will you let Mick know that Leonard is awake? I promised." Sara wanted more time with Leonard to help him find his balance but she knew it was a selfish wish. Mick could help too. It would take some time before the man they both cared about found himself again.

Mick came into the room slowly. He would not admit it even to himself but he was afraid that he'd lost his friend. When Leonard met his gaze, he realized that his fear was unfounded. Snart was in the past.

"I don't think I said it but thank you." Leonard glanced briefly at Mick and Sara before returning his gaze to the floor. "If you would…I want…I need some time to figure this out," he finally got out.

While Mick was not an empathetic man, he had an idea of what Leonard would be going through after his ordeal. "We'll figure out a way to destroy them buddy." It was all he could offer his friend.

Sara on the other hand knew exactly what it was to be tortured. "If you change your mind, no matter what time, call. Don't go too deep." She brushed her hand against his cheek and left Leonard to his thoughts.

Geoffrey wisely kept silent as he watched his captain clean up and head to the galley. "Soup or a meal sir?"

"I dunno." Leonard had never felt this lethargic. "Whatever."

"I believe the malaise that you are feeling is a combination of the stress your body has gone through in addition to the memories. If you want, I can block the most recent ones. I've analyzed the compound they…"

Slamming his hand down on the table, Leonard shouted "No! You're not going to fuck with me again. Every time I turn around I find that your Elders or you or those Shadow assholes have done something to me." It wasn't until he'd spoken that Leonard was able to clarify in his thoughts what was so wrong. He braced his hands against the table and dropped his chin to his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to figure out what to say. "First it was the Time Masters. They set me up; maybe from birth. All I know is that my life was hell and so was Lisa's. Then apparently their script had me abandon my only friend so they can turn him into a terminator. I kill myself to destroy the Oculus so no one can control me anymore. But wait. That's not true. I'm snagged from wherever and brought back to life. Don't get me wrong; I'm grateful for that but…Now I'm under control of the Elders who put a chip in my head, a tracker under my skin, and change my metabolism all without telling me anything. But it doesn't stop there!" By this time Leonard was shouting. "These so-called enemies of the Elders nick me, torture me, and inject me with all sorts of crap to fuck with my memory all to get at the Elders. I. Am. Not. A. Pawn."

As usual, Geoffrey had recorded his captain's words and in a microburst, sent the video to the Elders. The AI added that his captain was near the breaking point and that something had to be done to help him.

The Elders made their choice.

Leonard's voice rang through the ship. On the bridge, Mick and Sara heard everything.

"What do we do blondie?"

"Geoffrey. Could you ask Leonard if he's.." That was all Sara was able to get out as Leonard rushed onto the bridge. Sitting down in the captain's chair, he tried to turn on the engines but they would not ignite. In a cold rage, he flung up the restraint and spun to face the AI's image. "Give me control!" he spat out.

"Sir. We need to wait until morning. You have not yet fully recovered from the trauma. The Elders know exactly how you feel and they are ready to help you with your mission."

"And what mission is that exactly?"

"Revenge."

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

The next day, Geoffrey opened a channel to the Waverider. "Captain Hunter?"

"What is it?" Rip was trying to relax. The effort required in rescuing Mr. Snart had drained him.

"The Elders would like to speak with you. All of you. At their base."

Rip's feet swung off the desk and hit the floor. "Why now?"

"It seems a new enemy has come into play and plans need to be made."

"Is Mr. Snart able to travel again?"

"Yes, his injuries have healed to the point that the Time Stream won't affect his complete recovery."

"Let me get everyone together. Is Mr. Snart awake and ready for visitors?" Rip knew that Mick and Sara had stayed on the Iceberg until very early that morning. Whatever conversation the three had had, he would probably never know. Nor should he. He understood that Mr. Snart was a very private man; he wanted to know everyone else's secrets but hid his own. Rip wasn't sure if the thief would want them all barging in on him.

"Yes. I'll let them know you are coming."

Rip and the others headed to the Iceberg where Sara met them at the hatch.

"How is Mr. Snart doing?" The damage purposefully inflicted on Mr. Snart had distressed Martin immensely. He wasn't a violent man but he was ready to fight if he got those who'd hurt his friend in his sights.

"Better." Sara didn't share the hard time she and Mick had had the previous night getting their friend to wait until he was healed before fighting back.

She led the way to the bridge and Leonard's office where he and Mick were stripping down their guns to clean them. There were some rifles on the desk still waiting for attention. Sara sat back down in her chair. Her knives would be worn to the breaking point if she sharpened them anymore.

Rip took in the tableau before them. Glancing sideways at Professor Stein, he was surprised that the older man was not terribly shocked. "So now you're going to fight these people?"

"Yes," Leonard snapped off the word. "I killed my father for what he did; these deserve the same. For what they did to me. And, according to Geoffrey, to other agents of the Elders as well."

"Wait. You killed your father? I get it; he beat you but that you..." Jax spoke up. He almost took a step back. This man had betrayed his best friend and killed his own father. What would he do to those who were not exactly friends?

"I killed my father because he put a bomb in my sister's head to force me to work for him."

Curious, Stein asked, "How did you get it out?" He had known about Mr. Snart's arrest for the murder of Lewis but the fact about the bomb had not been brought up in casual conversation at S.T.A.R. Labs.

"I didn't. The Flash's team did."

"Of course they did." Stein knew Mr. Ramon's scientific expertise would be more than up to the task.

"If we could get back to the task at hand please?" Rip was curious about the Elders. Would they really allow them to see them?

"I will set up a dedicated circuit with Gideon and the Elders will send up the time coordinates we need.

"Why a dedicated circuit?"

"I do not have the coordinates in my own systems in case this ship is taken. That has been the norm since agents began to disappear. It is for the protection of the Elders."

"How long will the trip take?" Ray was itching to see these Elders. He wanted to see who his almost bosses were.

"We will be in transit for approximately 28 hours. I do not know the exact travel time until I receive my orders."

Sara stepped closer to Leonard. "Not letting you out of my sight right now."

With great deliberation, Leonard placed the gun he was cleaning on the table. His hands had begun to shake and he hoped Mick hadn't noticed. Mick abhorred weakness like he himself abhorred incompetence.

For his part, Mick had seen his partner's shaking. But he'd also seen the damage inflicted on his partner. His partner would heal and then they'd rain down on those bastards such destruction that they'd wish they'd never seen Leonard Snart much less taken him captive. Slapping his hands against the table, he stood up. Mick had convinced Leonard to set up some weights with a bench to keep in shape. He could sleep on the bench but he thought Sara would have a better chance at helping Leonard over the next day or so. "Let's get this show on the road," he grumbled. Picking up several of the guns, he took them to the armory and stowed them properly and then headed towards the main hatch.

The rest of the team left. Once they were on board the Waverider, both ships lifted off. Geoffrey sent a message burst to Gideon giving the coordinates. The AI also sent a command that would wipe the memory of the site from the other AI once the ship landed. They both entered the Time Stream.

Sara helped Leonard take all the weapons down to the armory and then went to the galley to find something for them both to eat. Geoffrey had requested his captain's presence in the med bay for another checkup. Once cleared, Leonard went to his room to find the gift he'd made for Sara. He'd originally had planned it as a birthday gift but their lives were risky. He learned that tomorrow might not come.

Sauntering into the galley, he saw that she had her back towards him. He made enough noise so she knew he was there. No point in being punched for his efforts. "Close your eyes."

Sara felt something brush against her neck before a slight weight settled down around it.

"Open them."

Reaching up to touch what now nestled against her throat, Sara couldn't figure out what is was until Geoffrey turned the monitor into a mirror. She gasped. It was a bird in flight. The wings went up on both sides to connect to the chain. Grasped in the claws was a large blue diamond. "What? Where? Did you steal this?"

"Kinda. I stole the diamond; it was called the French Blue. Geoffrey helped me cut it and I put the Hope Diamond back where it belonged. That left two diamonds behind. That's one."

"So you made this? It's beautiful!" She turned and gave Leonard a very long kiss. Breaking apart for air, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Satisfied that he'd impressed her, Leonard took the plate she handed him and sat down at the galley table. They had time before they met the Elders. Time for the raw wounds of memory to begin to heal. Sara had no plan but she knew what it was to push away the self-loathing when one was a victim. That was a word she would never have pegged Leonard with. Victim. They would change that when they confronted those Shadow bastards.

 **0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Wow." Jax couldn't help but be impressed as he looked around the vast hanger that the two ships had landed in. It surpassed the hanger at the Vanishing Point twofold. A robot jetted out of a doorway and came to a hover in front of the group. Its faceplate changed color and a voice was projected. "If you would follow our servant, it will guide you to us."

Not having much of a choice, the team did as they were told. They walked across the vast area looking like tourists as each twisted and turned his or her head to try to see everything.

Rip and Mick, both of whom had been very familiar with the Vanishing Point were duly impressed. These Elders had shown their power by resurrecting Leonard Snart but this overt display of strength was encouraging. Finally arriving at a hatch, it slid open and the corridor on the other side had a visible end. A quick walk brought them to another room; this one much smaller. Five figures of indeterminate gender or age stood in a half circle.

"Welcome."

Rip as self-chosen spokesman stepped forward. "Thank you for saving the life of our comrade." He'd chosen that opening during the time traveling to this place. He desperately wanted to learn more but he guessed that these beings would give them what they wanted to and not one iota more. "However, I must protest the highhandedness you took in regards to the changes made to Mr. Snart."

"We realize that these alterations became stressful for Leonard Snart but they were necessary."

"Tell me the truth. Are there any more surprises about implants or changes or anything left in me?"

"And if we told you yes?" The Elder was curious.

"Then I'm out. You can kill me. Maroon me. Whatever. I'm done with…"

"We understand that is how you feel Leonard Snart. We now regret the necessity of our actions. To answer your question. There are no more surprises and nothing else will be implanted without your direct consent."

Disturbed that he could not see any of their eyes to discern is they were telling the truth, Leonard decided to take them at their word. "So what are we doing next?"

"Ever since our first agent was taken and his ravaged body found, we knew we would have to stop them somehow. However, since we do not kill, we would need the help of our agents to do so."

"How do you expect us to fight them?" Rip was curious. "The Waverider is just a time ship and the Iceberg is smaller."

"We have built a ship whose primary function will be combat."

The team followed the cowled figure as he led them to another hanger.

A long drawn out whistle came from Jax's lips. Rip's jaw dropped open as he took in the size of the ship. He walked along the length of the ship while running his hand along the hull. "VN-01. I've never seen this class of ship," he said as he returned to the group.

"It is the only one of its kind. As we said, we do not kill. But we must stop the Shadow Corps from damaging the timeline and attacking our own agents."

"So what do you expect us to do?" Martin was concerned. They were not fighters. Not in the sense that he felt the Elders meant.

"We are installing two operating systems. Both Geoffrey and Gideon will be able to transfer themselves into the ship. In fact, it will be ideal. One AI will handle the shipboard duties while the other will be tactical and weapons. When your mission is done, both AIs can be successfully transferred back to their proper ships."

"And who will the captain be?" Rip found the idea of being a subordinate hard.

"That is up for your group to decide. While Leonard Snart is our agent, he may want to work with Geoffrey on the combat side."

Briefly, Leonard considered saying that he wanted to be the captain but he knew his piloting skills were not excellent yet. If they flew in combat, they'd need someone like Rip to keep them all alive. "Mick and I will take the weapons."

Mick grinned. It would be a glorious war.

"And what about the rest of us?" Ray didn't want to be a bystander.

"This fight will not be just in the air. We have discovered a small fleet of ships in this Shadow Corp. They will be landing to make their alterations to the timeline or attempting to attack our other agents. We believe that you all are needed for this fight."

"Was that your original intention when you brought Mr. Snart back?" Martin had never trusted the altruism of the Elders.

"When the Oculus first sent Leonard Snart to this place, the intention was that he would become our agent and that is all. However, events have transpired so that we are now at war. It is fortunate that Leonard Snart had you as his companions. Will you aid us?"

"Give us a while to decide." Rip had made too many rash decisions over the past year and they had been costly. He also could not make the decision for all of them. He had to ask. "May we explore the ship?"

"Certainly. You will see that it is ready for all of you if you choose to join this battle."

The hatch opened and interior lights came on inviting them inside.

Rip headed towards the bridge curious to see the set up to house the two AIs. There was not a central console; rather two large pillars which framed the command chair. "Gideon. Do you have any readings for this ship?"

"Yes Captain. The Elders have given both me and Geoffrey a link so we can learn the ship and all its functions."

"I see," he muttered. "And your thoughts?"

"This ship has more firepower than we are used to but the maneuverability is greater as well."

"So you think this can be done?"

"I believe that Geoffrey and I can run the ship so long as you are the pilot. You all will have to complete some intensive training to be able to use the ship to its full abilities."

"You and your team will have a few weeks before the ship is ready to launch. We will give you materials to study so that you will be most effective when the time comes." An Elder's voice came through the speakers.

"We haven't agreed yet." Rip was irritated at the Elders for assuming that the team would just fall into line. But he understood that this would be a mission of revenge for Mr. Snart, Ms. Lance, and Mr. Rory. And, if he admitted to himself, these Shadow Corps would probably put his own team at risk too. He wondered what the others were looking at.

Leonard, Mick, Sara, and Jax had gone down to the armory. Another Elder guided them as they explored the weaponry that would be available to them. Mick was practically rubbing his hands with glee at the firepower that would be at his disposal. They found turrets for energy weapons on the top and bottom of the ship.

"Just like the Millenium Falcon," Jax exulted. He could barely contain his enthusiasm and he wanted to test the weapons.

As though the Elder could read his mind, "The weapons are not online yet. And you all have much to learn about them before we would allow you to fire them. If you would go up the stairs, you may explore the ship to see the quarters available to you all."

They climbed the stairs to the middle level and split off. As each member passed a door, it opened. Jax became nervous; these Elders had done their research on them. His room was decorated in his favorite colors and there was an entire wall that had racks of various tools. "Y'all plan on me being the mechanic here too?"

"Your strengths besides that of Firestorm indicate you would be happier working with your hands."

Pursing his lips together, Jax had to admit they were right.

Mick's room was stuffed with weights. There was a huge easy chair next to a beverage dispenser. Examining it, he programed it for a lager. The frosty glass exceeded his expectations. Dropping into the chair, Mick felt like he was in the cream. A ship with weapons and alcohol. What more did a man need? He'd find the babes when they landed somewhere and be off again with no ties.

A door opened as Leonard and Sara walked past it. An Elder spoke, "We were not sure if you two would be sharing quarters or not. We have furnished a separate room for you as well Ms. Lance."

Sara stood back to give Leonard some space before following him into the room. He turned around while standing at the center. It was a large room; he thought it was the largest of the quarters. The table had two comfortable chairs and there was a king bed and two wall screens one on either side of the room. The first showed a snowcapped mountain while the other showed a lit fire which illuminated the bed. Swinging his head around, he asked, "Your favorite?"

"Yes. Now if there was a bearskin rug…"

"I don't think we have time for…"

"On the contrary Captain Cold. This mission that you are undertaking will not be wrapped up in a few weeks. It may take months to root out all the enemy. Thus we have considered the long term comfort of you and your teammates."

Leonard glared at the ceiling. "Are you monitoring everything we say?" He was beginning to get furious all over again. He was done with people sticking their noses into his life. Sucking in a breath to yell, he stopped when Sara placed her hand on his arm.

Turning her own face towards the speaker, she addressed their watchers. "You all need to get one thing straight. We are here because of Leonard and that's it. These assholes hurt him and I…we want revenge. But if you all start watching us, listening to us, monitoring us when we are not asking for your help, we'll walk. And we're taking Leonard with us." She shifted her stance as though she was going to fight. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ms. Lance, you are clear. We are observing now to see what alterations any of you would have for your quarters. As I stated, you will be living here for some time. It is…difficult for such a diverse group of humans to share such tight quarters without having what comforts we can offer. The galley will be able to synthesize any food that you desire. Each room has a tub with radiant fluid that will help ease the stresses of long time jumps. The medical bay here is vastly superior to what Captain Cold has on the Iceberg as this is an extremely dangerous assignment. As stated earlier, we need a few more weeks to finish building and stocking the ship. This will allow you to make sure everyone is satisfied with their quarters as well as learn the parts of the ship that they will be responsible for."

"Are you going to put a chip in my head again?" Leonard felt cold at the thought.

"We will not make any physical alteration without anyone's direct consent. However…" The disembodied voice waited a beat. "It would be optimal if we could use another piece of our technology to teach each of you what you must know."

Speaking up, Sara questioned, "You just said you weren't going to implant a chip."

"This will not entail a surgical procedure. Using a neural net, we can subliminally implant instructions in each of you. One person could monitor what we are implanting in another if you don't trust us."

"I don't." Leonard had come a long way the past year with the team in learning to trust. These Elders had shattered almost all the faith he'd developed.

"Can you explain to Gideon what is involved and then Gideon can show us?" Sara trusted her AI more than Geoffrey.

"Yes. I believe the others are waiting for you two on the bridge. We will continue this conversation at a later time." There was an audible click as the PA circuit was closed.

When they reached the others, Sara took it upon herself to explain to them what they had learned. There was varying degrees of outrage and confusion but Gideon helped with a series of diagrams showing what the procedure was.

"Oh, it looks like hypnosis." Martin flicked the previous screen back and toggled between two to understand the steps that would be taken. "Are any drugs involved?"

"Possibly. With a lack of trust, it will be difficult to implant new memories." Gideon had been given access to a lot of information in the Elder's databases although nothing specific about the Elders or this base was made available.

Leonard had turned his back on the others. He needed to think about what he was asking them to do. He half listened to the conversation going on behind him as they discussed the ship and the task ahead.

"Exactly how much do we need to know Gideon?" Rip was resistant to anyone mucking with his head. He had a better understanding of what Mr. Snart had felt when he'd learned about the chip.

"I believe, Captain Hunter, that everyone can learn their ship's duties within the time allotted by the Elders."

"Alright then." Rip rubbed his hands together. This was nowhere near the mission he'd first undertaken nor was it what he'd recruited this team to handle. But it was a worthy mission.

Leonard turned to look at the team. "Last chance to back out. You know this is war." He looked at his oldest friend first. "Mick?"

"I'm in. This'll give me a chance to blow shit up." A grin split his face as he burped. "And the booze is great."

Leonard closed his eyes for a second. Mick had self-control now but Leonard had not seen him when he was really drunk except in that saloon in the Old West. He'd have to keep an eye on him for a while. He turned to look at the others.

Rip read the others' faces. "I think I speak for us all, Mr. Snart. We're in this with you."

It was a new feeling for Leonard. They'd claimed they were his friends before. Now he knew that these people, that these friends, had his back.

"I believe the ship needs a name," said Professor Stein. "Since you are the agent of the Elders, Mr. Snart, what name will you designate it by?"

Leonard thought briefly. The Waverider's name probably came from the WR-2500 painted on its hull. He'd chosen the name Iceberg for familiarity's sake. VN...then the name came to him. "Vengeance."

Mick clapped his friend on the shoulder. "That'll do."

 **Coda:**

Barry entered Sinners and Saints. He'd gotten a phone call from Leonard Snart of all people. He wondered why the former thief had chosen this place instead of S.T.A.R. Labs. He looked around but didn't spot Snart. Maybe he was late? He smiled faintly considering he was the one who was always late even with his super speed. He wandered past the pool table closest to the bar and headed towards the booth he remembered Snart preferring. A lone figure was there but it wasn't Snart. He turned away.

"What's the matter Barry? Can't figure it out?"

Barry spun around but he still didn't see Leonard. "Snart?" he whispered.

Sitting in the booth was a tall, thin figure but his hair was longer, curly, and a dark brown. The widow's peak was the same, however. A beer sat in front of him with another waiting on the other side of the table.

Barry slid into the seat opposite. "Snart?" he asked again.

"It's me. I've just got this thing called a transmogrifier that makes me appear to be someone else. Pretty nifty huh? It would have made breaking and entering a piece of cake."

"What are you doing here?" Barry hissed as he sat down on the other side of the booth.

"I need your help." Leonard hoped Barry would never realize how much it irritated for him to ask for this favor.

"What is it?" Barry was wary. He knew Snart had changed but he still didn't trust him.

"I've got something for Lisa that I need you to deliver for me."

"Lisa? You mean she still doesn't know you're alive?" Barry was confused. He knew how much Snart loved his sister. The loss of her brother had devastated her. How could he not…?

Barry's face was an open book. "What I'm doing is dangerous. In fact, our next mission is more like a war."

"With who?"

"Long story. Just know that our enemies are trying to fuck with history big time and they will stop at nothing…" Leonard had to swallow heavily. The memory of his time while captured still shook his self-confidence. "These bastards need to be stopped." His tone was implacable.

Barry shrugged. "Okay." He got it, sort of. He'd seen how Lisa had been destroyed with her brother's death. If this was as dangerous as he said, he could see why Snart wanted to spare his sister if he died again. Just more proof that Snart did have heroic tendencies.

Leonard reached into his jacket and pulled out a small velvet box and a black cylinder and placed them on the table.

"The box is for Lisa. The tube is yours. I bet you can find a use for a transmogrifier. I know you move fast but sometimes that's not enough. You may have to go somewhere as Barry Allen and not The Flash." Leonard had dropped his voice to a whisper. He started to say something else when the door opened and Lisa walked in. He hissed, "Did you tell her I was here?"

'Wha…no! I didn't realize she doesn't know you're alive." Barry tried to keep his head down.

With a growl of frustration, Leonard snatched the transmogrifier he'd laid on the table, flicked it on, and shoved it into Barry's hand.

Lisa walked past their table paying no attention to the two men.

Leonard's loss kicked him in the gut. By his choice, he wasn't going to speak to her. To risk giving her more pain if, and he had to be honest with himself, when, he died again. His hands clenched so tightly that his nails cut small half-moons into his palms.

Barry could see that Snart was upset and focused on his own beer to give the man time to regain his calm.

Snart got control of himself faster than Barry would have imagined. He nodded at the box. "Tell Lisa that you got that from Rip. That he'd found it in my things on the ship."

"What is it?" Barry couldn't hide his curiosity.

Smiling, Leonard said, "Something I stole."

With a sigh of frustration, Barry asked, "Am I going to get in trouble for having this?"

"Nope. It vanished before either of us were born. Take a look."

Barry's eyes widened as he saw what was inside the box. The diamond was magnificent. It was mounted on a gold choker within a filigreed bezel. "Where did you get this?"

Leonard smiled and then it faded. "Just see that she gets it." He downed the rest of his beer and stood up. Looking back at Barry, he flicked off the transmogrifier briefly. "Take care of yourself, Barry. And thanks." His features were once again converted to that of another man allowing him to walk right past Lisa never knowing how close she stood to her big brother.

Barry watched his one-time nemesis walk away. He was gratified to know that Leonard Snart had found the hero inside himself. He tucked the box inside his coat. He'd ask Cisco to help deliver the necklace to Lisa.

Outside Sinners and Saints, Sara peeled away from the wall. She'd seen Lisa enter and knew Leonard had to be hurting. She stayed silent as they walked knowing her presence spoke volumes. Leonard would talk when he was ready. The Iceberg uncloaked to allow them inside and soon the ship lifted to enter the Time Stream.

Standing beside Leonard on the bridge, Sara watched the green swirly energy that filled the Time Stream.

Even though it was the right choice, it hurt. Not being able to speak to Lisa, to tell her the truth, was like a stab to the gut. Leonard finally understood what Mick had tried to explain when they'd talked about him going back and telling Leonard that Mick considered him a hero. He was grateful that Sara didn't ask any questions. Her support was palpable but not clinging. Lifting the restraint, he stood up and stretched. "What's next on the agenda Geoffrey?"

"You still have 19 days before the Vengeance is ready. I would suggest you two take some time to yourselves and begin the course of study tomorrow." The AI was still confused as to why Captain Cold refused to let his sister know he was alive. But that was the man's decision. It was up to the AI to prepare both these Legends for the upcoming war.

Sara smiled coyly at Leonard. "Since we're off the clock until tomorrow, what shall we…" She finished the sentence with a shriek as Leonard swept her off her feet.

"I think we can find something to do."

Both were determined to make the most of every moment. Neither wanted any "what ifs." They knew that this war might mean one or the other of them might die at any moment. They headed towards Leonard's room as the AI turned off the overhead lights on the bridge. Tonight was for them. Tomorrow war would be declared.

* * *

Thus ends this story. I would love to know what you thought of this chapter please or the story as a whole. It will take me a while to write the next part of Leonard Snart's saga but the new story will be called: **_Vengeance is a Dish Best Served Cold_**.

 _As far as Legends goes, now that Leonard has been returned to 2014 and his destiny to choose to die at the Oculus, I don't know what we'll see of him. Rumor does state that he will return but be a very different character. I hope he can appear in The Flash in season 4 but I'm not holding my breath. His appearance in "Infantino Street" was a joy. Leonard and Barry are a great team. I'm not ready to let him go so I will continue writing about him in Earth -7 for a while._

 _The final scene between Leonard and Mick in Season 2 was very poignant: "You know what your punishment is Leonard? You end up being a better man." "Better? You mean softer." "No. I mean better."_


End file.
